A witness has told police he believes he saw Madeleine McCann in Morocco.
It has been revealed that a British tourist contacted police to say he saw a little girl, resembling the missing four-year-old, at a petrol station in Marrakesh.
His testimony was identical to that of another tourist, Norwegian Marie Pollard, 45, who claimed she was "100 per cent convinced" she saw Madeleine at the same spot.
Both accounts of a little blonde girl standing near a man and asking him in English: "When can I see my mummy?" were given to the police independently without knowledge of each other.
Scroll down for more...
Today: Kate and Gerry McCann with their twins Amelie and Sean after leaving the Catholic Church of Sacred Heart Rothley, near their home
The police failed to follow up either at the time they were reported.
When they did finally check out the leads, they found the garage's CCTV tape had been erased and didn't bother interviewing staff, according to the Sunday Mirror.
The second witness, who is from Yorkshire, was on holiday in Morocco days after Madeleine disappeared in Portugal on 3 May.
It was only when he returned to Britain that he realised the significance of what he had seen and called the police.
Pollard told the Sunday Mirror last night: "I still haven't been interviewed by Portuguese police and we're four-and-a-half months on.
"If this man saw Madeleine as well it adds weight to what I saw and proves I'm not going mad."
Scroll down for more...
Gerry and Kate McCann arriving back at their house in Rothley, Leicestershire, yesterday afternoon
Though both witnesses were guests at the Ibis hotel, there is no connection between Pollard and the Yorkshireman.
"Gerry and Kate McCann have always believed the Morocco sightings were vital," a friend said.
"Kate said her instinct from the start has been that Madeleine was smuggled into North Africa.
"The couple believe the information from the two witnesses is crucial and should have been released to the media immediately."
Pollard, who lives in Fuengirola, Spain, explained: "I didn't know about Maddie's disappearance then.
"I went in the shop to buy some water. My attention was drawn straight to her.
"She was a sweet, blonde-haired girl with a very cute face.
"She was wearing blue pyjamas with a little pink-and-white pattern, maybe flowers, on her top.
"She was standing alone with a man. She looked sad and a little lost.
"The man didn't look like her father. He was between 35 and 40, with dark brown hair, not very tall.
"She looked at me and then spoke to him, something like, 'Can I see Mummy soon?'. I don't think he responded."
Scroll down for more...
Madeleine McCann: Two witnesses claim to have seen the four-year-old in Morocco, just days after she disappeared
This follows reports that British forensic experts have sent Portuguese police an email angrily complaining at the way evidence in the inquiry has been "wildly misused", according to sources close to the investigation.
The Forensic Science Service criticises detectives for overplaying the results of its tests and leaking information - most of it inaccurate, it claims - to the Portuguese media.
The relationship between the FSS and the Policia Judiciaria has now deteriorated to such an extent that it is unlikely any further forensic tests will be carried out in Britain.
What most troubled scientists was the way the Portuguese interpreted "inconclusive" DNA evidence from the Renault Scenic hired by the McCanns 25 days after Madeleine disappeared.
Portuguese police are still understood to want forensic psychologists to analyse Kate's Bible.
They are said to be suspicious that passages relating to 'forgiveness' have been underlined and may be incriminating.
But a source close to the McCanns' legal team said: "Most of the references to forgiveness in the Bible relate to forgiving other people.
In any case, Kate maintains that she did not underline the passages herself.
The Bible was given to her in Portugal and they were already underlined."
Police also want graphologists to analyse handwriting in the Bible's margin which they feel is suspicious and could belong to Kate.
2 comments