Portuguese police have boosted their Madeleine McCann squad after identifying a foreign paedophile as a new suspect for her abduction, it is claimed. Information about the new suspect had been passed on by Scotland Yard, according to media reports in Lisbon. Portugal's Expresso news website claimed the man had already been investigated for alleged child sex offences before Madeleine vanished from her family's rented holiday apartment on the Algarve coast 12 years ago. The CmTv channel on Friday night also broadcast claims that police were investigating a new suspect and had increased the number of detectives involved in the case. It also claimed there was more than one suspect. Advertisement Image: The hunt for Madeleine continues - she would be turning 16 this month It comes as Scotland Yard doubled its usual six-monthly bid for Home Office funding, asking for £300,000 to keep its own detectives working on the case for another whole year. It's awaiting ministers' decision. The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said: "We have active lines of inquiry and I think the public would expect us to see those through. "A very small team continues to work on this case with Portuguese colleagues." Madeleine was nearly four when she vanished from the apartment as her parents and friends dined nearby in Praia da Luz on 3 May, 2007. Portuguese police abandoned their investigation after 15 months, finding no evidence of what happened to her. They reopened the investigation in 2012, before Scotland Yard was asked to investigate, too. The two forces worked separately at first, but now share information. Image: Kate and Gerry McCann believe their daughter could still be alive Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann insist their daughter could still be alive, in the absence of any evidence she has come to harm. In a statement on the 12th anniversary of her disappearance, they said: "As much as we'd like to fast forward the first couple of weeks of May, there's no getting around it. "The months and years roll by too quickly. "Madeleine will be 16 this month. "It's impossible to put into words just how that makes us feel. "There is comfort and reassurance though in knowing that the investigation continues and many people around the world remain vigilant."<doc-sep>Madeline McCann top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. He is believed to be “no stranger to police” and Portuguese officers are now closing in on him. The identity emerged after former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral, who led the case in 2007, claimed last week that police in the UK had been looking at “a German paedophile” in their investigation. Triple child killer Martin Ney, 48, has previously been named as a potential suspect, although his victims were all young boys. German prosecutors said at the time: “He has said he hasn’t killed in Portugal. We think he had a sexual interest only in boys.” Martin Ney, 48 McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell said a fresh bid to close in on Madeleine’s kidnapper after 12 years was “action on a tip-off from Scotland Yard.” He said: “The Yard has been doing a fair amount of work on this new person of interest and they then ask Portuguese officers to nail it down. “If activity needs to be done, the local police have to do it even if it’s a foreign force’s investigation. “Kate and Gerry are not in a position to comment on this, nor would they because it is operational detail and they will not discuss it. It is purely for the police if they choose to comment. The family will wait to hear of any developments and remain grateful to the British police for everything they are doing.” Sunday Night on 7 investigates in 'Madeline McCann: Gone' The man had been investigated over alleged child sex offences at the time, according to a Lisbon-based Expresso newspaper, which quoted a judicial source. Detectives investigating the disappearance have also been given extra resources to look at a “new clue” and “new suspect”, according to Correio da Manha. “Police are following new Maddie kidnap clues,” the Portuguese newspaper stated. “More inspectors are advancing with an investigation into a new suspect. “A new clue and a new suspect... has led to new resources being put in place to investigate the little girl’s whereabouts.” Kate and Gerry McCann<doc-sep>GERMAN child killer Martin Ney is NOT the new Madeleine McCann suspect Portuguese police are investigating, according to reports. Portugese media revealed on Friday that police had a “new lead and a new suspect” in the McCann case - but they did not publish the name of the man investigators are looking at. 8 German paedophile Martin Ney, 48, was jailed for life in 2012 for abducting and murdering three children 8 Ney looks like a photofit of a man seen acting suspiciously before Madeleine vanished from her Portuguese holiday apartment 12 years ago Credit: Handout Many media outlets were convinced that 48-year-old convicted German paedophile Martin Ney was the new prime suspect after the Sun on Sunday revealed he was a key suspect. But Correio da Manha reported today that the jailed German paedophile is not the new suspect at the centre of local cops' probe. It stated: “A German paedophile, serving life for the murder of three children and the sexual abuse of dozens more youngsters, was named by the British press as a Madeleine McCann suspect. “However this is not the new suspect that the Policia Judiciaria in Porto is investigating.” Ney was jailed for life in 2012 for abducting and murdering three children, and sexually abusing dozens more. Yesterday, the Mirror reported that a former resort worker said she saw Ney in the Algarve at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. He was staring "intently" at her and some female friends as they drank in a bar in Praia da Luz. According to the source, who asked not to be named, Ney was there "for a fact". They said: "I have a very good memory for faces. "I remember him looking at us intently." The worker, who reportedly worked at the Ocean Club resort where the McCann's were staying, said they recognised Ney after they saw a photograph of him in one of yesterday's newspapers. They said they also saw him in a local supermarket, close to where the McCann's were staying. WHO IS MARTIN NEY? Goncalo Amaral, the Portuguese cop who first led the hunt for Madeleine, revealed last week that police were probing a “German paedophile who is in prison”. Ney was working for an evangelical church on a project for the homeless in Portugal when Madeleine disappeared, it's claimed. Ney also looks like a photofit of a man, who was seen acting suspiciously before Madeleine vanished from her Portuguese holiday apartment 12 years ago. The youth worker dressed in black and donned masks and balaclavas while carrying out his attacks. Ney was said to have been familiar with the Algarve after travelling widely in Portugal in the 1990s. He was jailed for killing three German kids — Stefan Jahr, 13, in 1992, Dennis Rostel, eight, in 1995, and Dennis Klein, nine, in 2001. He is also suspected of the murder of a child in Holland in 1998 and another in France in 2004. 'PREPARING THE END OF THE INVESTIGATION' The timings raise the possibility Ney murdered a youngster every three years – 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004, before Madeleine vanished in May 2007. She disappeared days before her fourth birthday after parents Kate and Gerry left their children in their apartment in Praia da Luz. Scotland Yard launched its Operation Grange investigation in 2013 and still has a team working on Madeleine’s disappearance. Mr Amaral revealed on Australian TV that British cops were focusing on a jailed German. He also claimed it had “one investigation line” – and was ignoring other possibilities. Mr Amaral said: “Detectives are preparing the end of the investigation, with a German paedophile who is in prison right now.” On Friday, Portuguese newspapers also reported that Metropolitan Police detectives had provided information about a foreign paedophile. A recent Netflix documentary on the case focused on a suspect who targeted British holidaymakers’ apartments in Praia da Luz in 2007. 8 Madeleine McCann vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz back in May 2007 8 Ney murdered a youngster every three years – 1992, 1995, 1998, 2001 and 2004, before Maddie vanished Credit: PA:Press Association 8 The Praia da Luz apartments where Kate and Gerry left Maddie and her siblings alone Credit: Chris Eades 8 A reconstruction of the theory was recently broadcast in the new Maddie Netflix documentary Credit: Netflix The man, who wore a surgical mask and had a foreign accent, preyed on children and replied “yes” when one girl woke up and asked if he was her daddy. Scotland Yard is known to have been in contact with German detectives over Ney. Well-placed sources also confirmed yesterday Ney’s internet chatroom history – using the name GerdX – had been probed. In a chilling post from 2002 he wrote: “I bought a camouflage suit to jump out of the bushes in children’s playgrounds if a beautiful boy goes past.” Ney’s known victims are boys, but clinical psychologists say gender is often unimportant to paedophiles. Private detectives working on behalf of the McCanns also previously looked into Ney, whose horrific crime spree is believed to have started in Germany in 1992. CAGED FOR LIFE He also started travelling around the same time after finishing teacher-training at the age of 21. Police know he visited Ecuador in 1993, Peru in 1995 and Portugal the following year. He has also made repeated trips to Holland and Denmark. Ney was finally arrested in April 2011 after a massive police operation. He confessed to the three German murders and sexually abusing 40 other children, and was jailed for life. Ney, who told cops he murdered to cover up his abuse, has denied during police interviews involvement in any other child crimes. But he has been suspected of murdering Nicky Verstappen, 11, who vanished from a holiday camp in Brunssum, Holland, in 1998. MOST READ IN NEWS HEATWAVE Scorching 23C temperatures to hit THIS WEEKEND as rain & wind make way for summer Exclusive THIEF 'COP' Shamed ex-cop stole thousands of pounds from 2 hotels to blow on coke & hookers 'HELP ME!'<doc-sep>Child sex killer Martin Ney is not the new Madeleine McCann suspect Portuguese police are investigating, it was claimed today. Convicted triple-murderer Ney, 48, was reportedly named as a 'person of interest' by Portuguese police following a tip off from Scotland Yard. The killer, known as the 'masked man', is said to have visited the Algarve region and travelled extensively throughout Portugal in the 1990s. However leading Portuguese tabloid Correio da Manha claimed that Ney was not the 'new suspect' currently being investigated by detectives. It reported today: 'A German paedophile, serving life for the murder of three children and the sexual abuse of dozens more youngsters, was named by the British press as a Madeleine McCann suspect. Scroll down for video Child sex killer Martin Ney (left) is not the new Madeleine McCann suspect Portuguese police are investigating, it has been claimed (right, a previously released e-fit) Madeleine McCann disappeared from the Ocean Club resort in Portugal's Praia da Luz as a three-year-old in May 2007 'However this is not the new suspect that the Policia Judiciaria in Porto is investigating.' There was no immediate reaction from the PJ or Portugal's Attorney General's office. The PJ said in a statement on Friday, after Correio's revelations about a new suspect said to have been flagged up to Portugese police by Scotland Yard: 'The investigation into the disappearance of an English child in Praia da Luz in 2007, remains open within the framework of an investigation supervised by Portimao's Public Ministry. 'This investigation has been developed in conjunction with international authorities, following police and judicial rules of cooperation justified by the circumstances of the situation. 'The PJ does not feel it is appropriate to make any further clarifications in the interests of the investigation.' Portugal's Attorney General's Office, repeating the same statement it made last month when asked if British authorities had formally requested more help from Portugal via rogatory letters, added on the same day: 'Regarding these facts, as is public knowledge, an inquiry in the Portimao section of the Faro DIAP Public Prosecutors Office is ongoing. It is under investigation.' Neither is expected to react officially to the new claims by Correio about Ney not being the new suspect. He has previously been interviewed by detectives investigating Madeleiene's disappearance but has denied any involvement. Ney is believed to have leapt out at children from behind bushes wearing a mask and dressed all in black (photofit pictured) Police are reportedly pursuing two theories and two potential suspects including the German paedophile and another revolving around a suspect in another country Shortly after Correio revealed a new suspect was being probed, Portuguese news website Expresso said the focus of the PJ investigation was an alleged foreign paedophile. The website said he was known to Portuguese police, was in Portugal when Madeleine disappeared, and had been investigated on suspicion of involvement in paedophile cases. Scotland Yard officers involved in Operation Grange, the investigation into Madeleine's disappearance being run separately from the one in Portugal led by officers based in the northern city of Porto, are understood to have asked the PJ to look at him after receiving a new tip. He was linked to an English-speaking masked sexual predator who was active in the Praia da Luz area, although Expresso did not claim the new suspect and the masked intruder, who in one case woke up a little girl and told her 'Yes' when she asked 'Is that you Daddy?' were the same man. Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann are focusing on a convicted German paedophile Former Portuguese detective Goncalo Amaral sparked claims Hamburg-born Ney, who sometimes entered the apartments or tents of his victims wearing a mask, was the new suspect by claiming last week British police were probing a 'German paedophile who is in prison.' Ney looks a photofit of a man seen acting suspiciously before Madeleine vanished from her family's Algarve holiday apartment on May 3, 2007 as her parents ate tapas nearby. He was reportedly working for an evangelical church on a project for the homeless in Portugal when Madeleine vanished. He is understood to have been questioned about a six-year-old German boy who went missing from a beach near the Algarve in June 1996, but was never charged. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry said at the weekend when asked about Ney: 'He fits the profile - he is a known predatory paedophile and he's a foreigner. 'It is quite plausible police are looking at him again but it could be someone else. 'If he is the person of interest, a German force will have to get involved to interview him on their soil.' Mrs McCann's uncle Brian Kennedy added: 'If police start broadcasting names of suspects, it will only send them running.' The Met Police has also refused to comment, saying only: 'The investigation remains ongoing. We are not providing a running commentary.'<doc-sep>
The new suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is a German man already being investigated over alleged child sex offences, Sky News can reveal. He is one of two suspects who are currently the focus of teams of detectives in Portugal and the UK. The man was on remand in prison in Germany when police there decided to alert the Portuguese team which is working with Scotland Yard on the Madeleine case. Image: Madeleine was four when she disappeared It has led to a boost in funding and manpower for the Portuguese detectives, who are based in Porto. The suspect is thought to have been living on the Algarve coast when Madeleine vanished 12 years ago. He had not been a suspect at the time, though many alleged paedophiles were investigated and eliminated. The development comes at a time of renewed optimism in the small Scotland Yard team, which has asked the Home Office for a whole year of funding to keep its part of the investigation going. In the past two years, it has restricted its government funding requests to six months at a time. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said: "We have active lines of inquiry and I think the public would expect us to see those through. A very small team continues to work on this case with Portuguese colleagues." Madeleine was nearly four when she disappeared from the apartment as her parents and friends dined nearby in Praia da Luz on 3 May, 2007. Image: Kate and Gerry McCann say they still have hope of finding their daughter alive Portuguese police abandoned their investigation after 15 months after finding no evidence of what happened to her. They reopened it in 2012, before Scotland Yard was asked to investigate, too. The two forces worked separately at first, but now share information. Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann insist their daughter could still be alive, in the absence of any evidence she has come to harm. In a statement on the 12th anniversary of her disappearance, they said: "As much as we'd like to fast forward the first couple of weeks of May, there's no getting around it. The months and years roll by too quickly. "Madeleine will be 16 this month. It's impossible to put into words just how that makes us feel. "There is comfort and reassurance though in knowing that the investigation continues and many people around the world remain vigilant."