http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/madeleine-mccann-alive-witness-tells-2343495A shaken barrister has told police how a man boasted to him that he had seen missing Madeleine McCann just weeks ago.
In a sensational development the witness said he was stunned when the man confessed he had met the girl on a Mediterranean island.
The conversation took place at a party and breaking down in tears, the lawyer, who we are not naming, said: “I can’t tell you exactly why I believe what I was being told. It was just a gut feeling.”
He said he had no option but to tell the police because of the level of detail the man gave when talking about his disturbing encounter.
The witness added: “I knew that by reporting it, it would compromise me in all sorts of ways. But it was something that I couldn’t ignore. If I hadn’t said anything I couldn’t have lived with myself.”
He said he was convinced the confession was genuine, despite many other people coming forward with unconfirmed sightings and false leads since she disappeared in Portugal, aged three on May 3, 2007.
When asked exactly what it was about the description he was given that forced him to act, the lawyer said: “I have told the police everything that I was told about her.
“They know what that was and that is why they have acted. I was able to be a bit more specific than just the island but I haven’t been able to tell them exactly where the man said she was. I am now terrified that she has been moved elsewhere.”
The confession was made at a party in the North West of England in August and the lawyer gave a full statement to his local force, Greater Manchester Police, the following day.
Officers are taking the information seriously and are set to prepare a file for Scotland Yard’s Operation Grange team, leading the hunt.
According to a source, the informant is being treated as a credible witness because of his profession as a barrister and a pillar of the community.
He has been in contact with detectives within the last few days as they act on his crucial statement.
Last night a Greater Manchester Police spokesman said the force was unable to comment on the development.
Our revelation comes as parents Kate and Gerry revealed their hope their daughter would be found thanks to new evidence uncovered by a separate police probe.
