A PORTUGUESE judge has ordered former detective Goncalo Amaral to pay £375,000 to the parents of missing Madeleine McCann over claims in his book The Truth of the Lie as their long-running libel trial comes to an end.
The Portuguese police chief who led the initial investigation was accused of making defamatory statements about Kate and Gerry McCann in a book he wrote.
The couple claimed his 2008 book The Truth Of The Lie damaged the search for their missing daughter and added to their anguish.
A civil court in Lisbon ruled against Mr Amaral, and ordered him to pay damages to the McCanns.
The court also banned further sale of the book in which Mr Amaral claimed Madeleine had not been abducted, but had died in an accident in Praia da Luz.
The McCanns said the claims exacerbated their anguish and discouraged people from coming forward with information after Madeleine disappeared.
Mr Amaral's legal team have leave to appeal the award.
Madeleine disappeared from her family's holiday apartment on May 3, 2007 as her parents dined at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends. She was aged three at the time.
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