Thursday briefing: Jailed paedophile is Madeleine McCann suspect

Top story: ‘Our main line of inquiry is this suspect’

Hello, Warren Murray here, let’s cut through the noise and get to the news.

Police have identified an imprisoned German paedophile, drug trafficker and burglar as the new prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal 13 years ago. The suspect who has not been named was in the vicinity of the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz on the evening of 3 May 2007, and had a phone conversation that ended just over an hour before Madeleine went missing from the holiday apartment where she had been sleeping with her younger twin siblings as her parents dined at a nearby restaurant. The man was known to Portuguese police over break-ins at hotels and holiday homes in the Praia da Luz and Lagos areas.

Images have been released of a VW T3 Westfalia campervan, an early 1980s model with white upper body and a yellow skirting and a Portuguese registration plate; as well as a 1993 Jaguar car that was registered in Germany.

On 4 May 2007, the day after Madeleine’s disappearance, the suspect got the car re-registered in Germany under someone else’s name at a time when police believe it was still in Portugal. German investigators have initiated proceedings against the suspect on suspicion of McCann’s murder. Christian Hoppe, of the German federal office of criminal investigations, told a local television programme similar to the BBC’s Crimewatch that the suspect had two previous convictions for sexual abuse of girls. Stuart Cundy, the Met’s deputy assistant commissioner, said: “Our main line of inquiry is this suspect.” Now aged 43, in 2007 the man was 30 – but it was said he may have looked younger. He had been in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, with short spells in Germany during that time.

German police have been quietly investigating the man since a 2013 tip-off connected to the McCann case. They are expected to say more today.

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George Floyd: more police charged – Donald Trump’s secretary of defence has said he does not support sending in the military to quell protests over the death of George Floyd. And the president’s first defence secretary, James Mattis, has delivered a blistering condemnation, declaring: “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try. Instead he tries to divide us … We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We know that we are better than the abuse of executive authority that we witnessed in Lafayette Park. We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our constitution.” The Minnesota attorney general, Keith Ellison, has announced charges of aiding and abetting murder against three former police officers in the death of George Floyd, and increased to second-degree murder the charge against the officer who knelt on Floyd’s neck.

Barack Obama has told young people of colour “your lives matter” in public remarks that contrasted with Donald Trump’s racially charged and divisive threats of a crackdown.

“You have the potential to make things better and you have helped to make the entire country feel as if this is something that’s gotta change.” Thousands of protesters have marched through central London in an overwhelmingly peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration that culminated in crowds gathering at the heart of Westminster. They persuaded two police officers to “take the knee” outside the gates of Downing Street in a mark of respect for George Floyd. The actor John Boyega was among those taking part.

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Coronavirus latest – The government has faced fierce criticism for making MPs return to parliament in person after the business secretary, Alok Sharma, became unwell during a Commons speech and ended up being tested for coronavirus. Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, said the development was “just awful … The government stopped MPs from working from home and asked us to return to a building where social distancing is impossible. MPs are travelling home to every part of the country tonight. Reckless doesn’t even begin to describe it.” Priti Patel faces mounting calls to publish the scientific advice behind the 14-day quarantine period for new arrivals to the UK, after the government’s chief scientific adviser, Patrick Vallance, declined to fully endorse such a blanket policy, which is due to take effect on Monday. The prime minister has been vague on whether Britons will be able to holiday overseas if they self-isolate for 14 days on returning.

Mexico and Brazil have recorded their highest daily death tolls while Germany has announced a massive spending package to reboot its post-lockdown economy. Keep tabs on coronavirus at our global live blog and here is our latest at-a-glance summary.

There’s more in our Coronavirus Extra section further down … and here’s where you can find all our coverage of the outbreak – from breaking news to factchecks and advice.

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Russian oil spill mars Arctic river – Vladimir Putin has ordered a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel fuel spilled from a collapsed reservoir into a river inside the Arctic Circle. The plant is operated by a division of Nornickel, whose factories in the area have made the city of Norilsk one of the most heavily polluted places on Earth. Alexei Knizhnikov of the World Wildlife Fund said it was the environmental group that alerted cleanup specialists after confirming the accident through its sources. “These are huge volumes,” he said. “It was difficult for them to cover it up.”

Coronavirus Extra

“I’ve never felt so close to anyone this quickly”: in March, couples in England were advised to move in together or stay apart to avoid coronavirus.

But what happened to those in brand new relationships who went for it?

Ed Davey, the acting Lib Dem leader, has declared his experience as a carer can help rebuild a post-coronavirus Britain as he launches his bid to be confirmed in the party’s top job.

Rather than pitting old people against the young, now is the time to unite against a system that only benefits those who are wealthy, argues Natasha Lennard.

Today in Focus podcast: Did Anfield and Cheltenham cost lives?

A series of high-profile sporting events went ahead as scheduled in mid-March even as Covid-19 was being declared a pandemic. The Guardian’s David Conn investigates the scientific reasoning behind the decision, while Liverpool fan Simon Renoldi reflects on the loss of his father.

Lunchtime read: How a Spanish town became a Covid-19 hotspot

In Spain’s northern region of La Rioja, one medieval town has suffered a particularly deadly outbreak. And in such a tight-knit community, suspicion and recrimination can spread as fast as the virus.

Sport

Tottenham have revealed that one of their players has tested positive for Covid-19 and will self-isolate for seven days, although he is not experiencing any symptoms of the virus. Nine people from six Championship clubs also tested positive in the English Football League’s latest round of testing. Fresh doubt has been cast on whether Premiership rugby clubs can keep players on the government’s furlough scheme when they return to training after HMRC moved to clarify its position.

Katie Boulter, the best younger British player on the block 15 months ago, is preparing to volunteer with Age UK while she waits to make her tennis comeback. The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, has praised Lewis Hamilton as an ambassador for Formula One in speaking out against racism. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has not backed down from comments that he will “never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States”. And All Blacks great Dan Carter has made a surprise return to New Zealand domestic rugby after an absence of five years.

Business

The Indian telecom-to-oil conglomerate Reliance Industries has completed a massive $7bn rights issue in what it touted as the world’s biggest by a non-financial institution in a decade. In April, Facebook took a $5.7bn stake in the Mumbai-based firm’s Jio digital platforms in one of India’s biggest foreign investments. Asian stock markets have been mixed after Wall Street made gains. Benchmarks in Shanghai and Hong Kong declined while Tokyo, Sydney and south-east Asia advanced. For a pound there’s $1.254 or €1.18 on offer. The FTSE is tracking a shade lower at time of writing.

The papers

The Guardian leads today with “Thousands of primary schools snub government’s call to restart classes” with prominence also given to the emergence of a new suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance. The Telegraph calls it the “Biggest break yet in search for Madeleine”, while the Mail asks “Have they found man who took Maddie?” and the Sun’s question is “Did German take Maddie in this van?” accompanied by a picture of the VW camper in question; the Mirror has a cameo of the vehicle and says “Maddie suspect is in a German jail”.

The i says “New McCann suspect identified after 13 years”. The Times also has the Maddie story but leads on “Scientists hit out at plans for quarantine” – the government’s chief scientific adviser has declined to fully endorse it.

There’s that phrase “grim milestone” in the furniture on the Metro: the headline is simply “50,000” marking the UK death toll from Covid-19. The FT goes with “Prospect of no-deal Brexit fuels fears of Covid-19 drugs shortage”.

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