Portuguese police refuse to reopen Madeleine case

The decision came after Scotland Yard urged authorities to resume their investigation and released a new “age-progressed” image showing what she might look like as a nine-year-old.

While British detectives believe Madeleine could still be alive, officers in Portugal insist there is no evidence to warrant relaunching the search.

And despite the Metropolitan Police’s announcement this week that detectives have identified 195 potential leads, Portuguese police sources said the status of their investigation had not changed.

Next week will mark five years since Madeleine went missing from her family’s Algarve holiday flat while her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining nearby.

There have been hundreds of possible sightings of the little girl since she vanished, aged three, but each one has come to nothing.

The Portuguese refusal to re-examine her disappearance came shortly after family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the McCanns were “hugely encouraged” by the recent momentum in the case.

Mrs McCann was said to be “particularly pleased” with the new image of Madeleine, believing it had a strong family resemblance.