Madeleine McCann conspiracy theorists paying £172 for copies of memoir written by disgraced Portuguese cop Amaral as greedy book sellers cash in
The discredited book Truth of the Lie was written by disgraced former Portuguese detective Gonçalo Amaral, who led the bungled probe into Maddie's 2007 disappearance
GREEDY book sellers are cashing in on the suffering of Gerry and Kate McCann by charging as much as £172 for a book the couple has branded “downright lies”.
The Truth of the Lie was written by former Portuguese detective Gonçalo Amaral, who led the bungled probe into Maddie’s 2007 disappearance.
The controversial title was banned and Gerry and Kate were awarded around £375,000 in libel damages in 2015.
Amaral claims three-year-old Maddie died in the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz and her parents Gerry and Kate faked her abduction to cover up the tragedy.
There has been a surge of interest in the book after he featured on a new Netflix documentary about Maddie.
Paperback copies translated into English have surfaced online, after it was only previously available in Portuguese, to cope with demand.
DZK Books EU in Buenos Aires is selling the book for £172 on Amazon with free delivery.
Paper Cavalier UK in London has the book priced at £146.99, with £2.80 postage.
One seller, from Blackburn, Lancs, who has copies for £9.99 on eBay, said: “It’s a tough one, isn’t it? I feel so sorry for the child. I dread to think what actually happened to her.”
The book became a best-seller in Portugal when it was first published in 2008, selling more than 200,000 copies.
‘GROSSLY DEFAMATORY’
It was banned for several years after the McCanns launched a legal action against Amaral in 2009, claiming the book was “unfounded and grossly defamatory”.
In 2015, Kate and Gerry were awarded around £357,000 in libel damages by a Portuguese court. A judge also banned further sales of Amaral’s book.
However, in April 2016, Amaral won an appeal against the decision, meaning he could sue them for damages potentially in the tens of thousands.
The McCann’s lost a subsequent appeal in Portugal’s Supreme Court in February 2017.
Top judges also ruled that Maddie’s parents had not been ruled innocent with regard to their daughter’s disappearance.
The McCanns, of Rothley, Leicestershire, have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in a bid to silence Amaral.
The spotlight has been thrown back on the case by a new eight-part documentary called The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann on Netflix. The McCanns, both 51, refused to take part.
The Sun on Sunday revealed last week how the McCanns were hit with £29,500 in legal fees for Amaral, after losing their libel case.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.