Madeleine McCann Investigators Fail To Quiz Paedophile

Final attempts by Madeleine McCann investigators to speak to a convicted paedophile about her disappearance have failed.

Private detectives searching for the missing girl had hoped to speak to Raymond Hewlett, who was living in Portugal at the time of her disappearance on May 3 2007.

But negotiations with his German lawyer broke down, the McCanns' spokesman said.

Hewlett, 64, is terminally ill with cancer and is now said to be too unwell for an interview.

Retired UK policemen Dave Edgar and Arthur Cowley, who flew to Germany to speak to him, said they were "very disappointed" with the lawyer's behaviour.

Sky sources say Hewlett has been demanding thousands of pounds in cash to help the inquiry, and the McCanns have refused to pay him a penny.

Mr Edgar said: "I have been attempting to speak with Raymond Hewlett to eliminate him from our investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

"He is not a suspect but I was keen to interview him because of his failing health.

"I have tried over the past weeks to arrange this via his lawyer in Germany.

"These negotiations have been difficult for reasons which I do not want to go into detail about.

"Mr Hewlett's condition has of course been deteriorating during these negotiations.

"I travelled to Germany yesterday in a final effort to interview Raymond Hewlett. Regrettably that interview is not possible.

"From information provided by his lawyer and other sources it is obvious that his health is such that any meaningful interview would not be possible."

Mr Edgar, a former detective inspector who worked for the Royal Ulster Constabulary and Cheshire Police, said Hewlett's ability to answer questions accurately "must also be in doubt".

The detective said he had been told that the paedophile could only manage a 60-minute interview when to quiz him properly about Madeleine's disappearance would take five hours.

Mr Edgar added: "I will of course reconsider my position should Raymond Hewlett's condition allow a proper, meaningful interview to take place."

Hewlett, a former soldier who previously lived in Blackpool and Telford, has been jailed several times in the UK for sexually assaulting young girls.