McCanns are suing a Portuguese newspaper

The parents of missing Madeleine McCann are suing a Portuguese newspaper which claimed they killed their daughter.

Gerry McCann said he and his wife, Kate, were "deeply hurt'' by the front-page story in Tal e Qual headlined "PJ believe that the parents killed Maddie".

The August 24 article claimed the Policia Judiciaria (PJ) - Portugal's CID - were certain the McCanns killed Madeleine by accident.

It implied that the young girl died a "victim of an excess of drugs", which may have been sedatives.

Portuguese police have repeatedly stated that the McCanns, from Rothley, are not suspects, but the couple have now endured weeks of slurs in the Portuguese press.

It was the publication of last Friday's front page story, plus another report, headed "PJ believes in the fault of the parents", which triggered the action.

Gerry said today: "Kate and I have been deeply hurt by the report in Tal e Qual. We firmly believe that the report was speculative, defamatory and published despite official statements to the contrary, which is why we have instructed lawyers.

"We hope that this action will encourage responsible reporting in the future.