FARO, Portugal, Sep 9 (Reuters) British couple Kate and Gerry McCann, named as suspects in their four-year-old daughter Madeleine's disappearance, headed home from Portugal today.
The McCanns boarded a flight in Faro, on Portugal's Algarve coast, bound for East Midlands Airport in central England.
A spokeswoman for the McCanns said the couple were not running away from the investigation but were leaving for the sake of their two-year-old twins. Madeleine vanished from the resort of Praia da Luz resort on May 3.
''They played no part in the disappearence of their beloved daughter. Their return is with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and the police,'' spokeswoman Justine McGuiness said.
Portuguese police declared the McCanns formal suspects on Friday after questioning them, but have so far filed no charges against them.
Declaring the McCanns suspects indicates police believe they might have been involved in a crime but does not necessarily mean they would be detained.
Gerry McCann rejected any suggestion he and his wife were responsible for their daughter's death.
''We did not kill Maddie,'' he told the British Sunday newspaper News of the World. ''We're entirely innocent and we will clear our name,'' he said in an interview with the tabloid.
Relatives have urged Portuguese police to eliminate the couple from their inquiries and resume the hunt for the child.
''If this is what it takes to speed up the process of absolutely exonerating Gerry and Kate, let's get on with it,'' Gerry's brother John McCann told BBC radio.
The couple's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, said he had no idea how long the case would take to be concluded in a country that suffers from serious bureaucratic delays in its justice system.
The Portuguese weekly Expresso yesterday cited legal experts as saying it could take at least a year.
Police changed their line of investigation this week after receiving results of forensic tests on evidence collected by Portuguese and British experts from various sites including the holiday apartment from which Madeleine vanished.
Pictures of Madeleine have been posted across Europe at schools, airports and restaurants and the McCanns have met Pope Benedict, who blessed a picture of the child.
REUTERS PD PM1515
The McCanns boarded a flight in Faro, on Portugal's Algarve coast, bound for East Midlands Airport in central England.
A spokeswoman for the McCanns said the couple were not running away from the investigation but were leaving for the sake of their two-year-old twins. Madeleine vanished from the resort of Praia da Luz resort on May 3.
''They played no part in the disappearence of their beloved daughter. Their return is with the full agreement of the Portuguese authorities and the police,'' spokeswoman Justine McGuiness said.
Portuguese police declared the McCanns formal suspects on Friday after questioning them, but have so far filed no charges against them.
Declaring the McCanns suspects indicates police believe they might have been involved in a crime but does not necessarily mean they would be detained.
Gerry McCann rejected any suggestion he and his wife were responsible for their daughter's death.
''We did not kill Maddie,'' he told the British Sunday newspaper News of the World. ''We're entirely innocent and we will clear our name,'' he said in an interview with the tabloid.
Relatives have urged Portuguese police to eliminate the couple from their inquiries and resume the hunt for the child.
''If this is what it takes to speed up the process of absolutely exonerating Gerry and Kate, let's get on with it,'' Gerry's brother John McCann told BBC radio.
The couple's lawyer, Carlos Pinto de Abreu, said he had no idea how long the case would take to be concluded in a country that suffers from serious bureaucratic delays in its justice system.
The Portuguese weekly Expresso yesterday cited legal experts as saying it could take at least a year.
Police changed their line of investigation this week after receiving results of forensic tests on evidence collected by Portuguese and British experts from various sites including the holiday apartment from which Madeleine vanished.
Pictures of Madeleine have been posted across Europe at schools, airports and restaurants and the McCanns have met Pope Benedict, who blessed a picture of the child.
REUTERS PD PM1515
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