When this story broke it sounded like Chris and Les drove all the way to Portugal through their own efforts to help the McCanns. It really did sound like they went to extraordinary lengths to help. We can reveal on MadeleineMcCann.org that Chris and Les were simply doing their job. The inflatable billboard was not the brainchild of Mr Lennox or Mr Harley and the pair of them didn’t pay for it either. The whole thing was engineered by Dr Gerald McCann’s brother John.

On 2 April 2008 Madeleine became a Ward of this Court, and since that date has remained a Ward.