Kate and Gerry McCann accept apologies from two newspapers

London, March 20 : Kate and Gerry McCann have accepted apologies from two British newspapers for alleging that they were responsible for the death of their little daughter Madeleine.

The apologies were published by the Daily Express and the Daily Star on their front pages.

The newspapers also agreed to pay a 550,000-pound libel damage to the couple's official Madeleine Fund.

Meanwhile, a former Portuguese police chief has claimed in a novel that Madeleine is dead, and her body dumped at sea.

Retired inspector Paulo Cristovao, who is facing trial over torture allegations, has angered the toddler's parents by writing this in his book 'The Star of Madeleine'.

The book, which is based on the real police investigation, carries Cristovao's account on how missing Madeleine did not survive 3 May 2007, the night she vanished.

Although he did not disclose who might be responsible for the mishap, he did drop clues that the McCanns decided that their daughter was kidnapped without considering that she may have walked out of their holiday flat.

"For legal reasons I, as the author, cannot tell you what the truth, the reality of this case, is. I can, however, assure you that you can find it here, in the lines of this book," British tabloid The Sun quoted him as writing in the preface.

He even claimed that the couple should have been arrested for leaving their kids alone at Praia da Luz.

ANI