Private detectives looking for woman in Maddie hunt (1st Lead)

Aug 6, 2009, 12:13 GMT

   London/Sydney - Private detectives leading the search for Madeleine McCann Thursday released an image of a woman they believe may have information on the case more than two years after the British girl disappeared in a holiday resort in Portugal.

   Detectives hired by Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, described the woman shown on the electronic image as a 'Victoria Beckham lookalike' speaking with an 'Australian or New Zealand accent.'

   The woman had been seen in Barcelona, northern Spain, by two British men three days after Maddie disappeared in the resort of Praia da Luz, on the Algarve in southern Portugal on May 3, 2007.

   The parents of Madeleine, now six, have hired private detectives to continue the search for the girl after the authorities in Portugal closed the case a year ago.

   Former detective inspector Dave Edgar said the woman, believed to have been in her mid-30s, had a 'brief conversation' with one of the British men which suggested that she 'might know something' about Madeleine.    'She's a significant individual, I wouldn't describe her as a suspect' said Edgar.

   He insisted that Madeleine could 'most definitely' have been brought by yacht from southern Portugal to Barcelona by May 7, the day the encounter between the woman and the British men took place.

   Police in Australia said earlier they were not involved in the investigations.