McCanns: Lunchtime Goncalo bites the dust

Scapegoat or incompetent cop? Either way, he’s off the McCann case, reports gibby zobel

Sacked on his birthday, the detective who has led the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was last night shunted off into the shadows amid a mix of embarrassment and praise.

Goncalo Amaral, 48, a detective with Portugal's equivalent of the CID for 17 years, was summarily fired the same day he accused Gerry and Kate McCann of 'creating' leads and the British police of following them.

The row forced the Portuguese government into making comments to avoid a potential conflict with British authorities. Justice Minister Alberto Costa went on TV to insist that there was a "fruitful co-operation" between British and Portuguese police.

Leicestershire police responded with a statement of 'support' for the Policia Judiciaria. But Amaral's fate was already sealed.

"He is the first victim as a scapegoat for the English," one officer told the daily Correio da

Amaral, a Catholic father- of-three, had been accused of taking long ‘boozy’ lunches

Manha, as police closed ranks. His dismissal was a protective measure for "a human being under violent attack" by the British press, according to the head of the Portuguese police federation, Carlos Anjos.

Amaral, a Catholic father-of-three, had been accused of taking long 'boozy' lunches, of working four-hour days and of ignoring 252 potential sightings. More seriously, he is himself an arguido, or formal suspect, in concealing evidence supporting allegations that his colleagues beat a confession out of Leonor Cipriano, the mother of another missing girl, in 2004.

Cornered by the Portuguese media, Alipio Ribeiro, Portugal's most senior police officer, said the reasons for Amaral's dismissal were "obvious". He said a successor would be appointed within a week. "There were many voices which attributed leaks to Amaral, leaving his position untenable," editorialised the Correio da Manha. Given their daily reports have relied on such leaks, they should know.

So it is goodbye to Amaral. Will it change the direction of the investigation?