The timeline and accepted version of events surrounding Madeleine McCann's disappearance have "significantly changed", British police say.

The Metropolitan Police said a BBC Crime watch appeal to be aired on Monday would feature "the most detailed reconstruction" of the case yet.

It will also broadcast e-fits of a number of men police want to find.

Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, was three when she went missing in Portugal in May 2007.

She disappeared from her family's holiday flat in the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz, as her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, dined out with friends at a nearby restaurant.

Portuguese authorities dropped their investigation into the case in 2008, but Scotland Yard started a review in May 2011.
'New significance'

The purpose of the Crimewatch appeal, which police are describing as the "most complex and detailed" so far in the case, is to try to identify a number of computer-generated images, or e-fits, of men who were sighted in and around Praia da Luz on or before Thursday 3 May 2007.

As part of that effort, a reconstruction - almost 25 minutes long - of events leading up to and surrounding Madeleine's disappearance will be shown.

A short clip released in advance by police shows an actress playing Madeleine running across a tennis court as two adults, apparently her parents, play a game.

During the search for their daughter, the McCann family released a photograph of Madeleine, believed to be one of the last taken of her during the holiday, holding several tennis balls.

Det Ch Insp Andy Redwood, who is heading the investigation, said: "The timeline we have now established has given new significance to sightings and movements of people in and around Praia da Luz at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

"Our work to date has significantly changed the timeline and the accepted version of events that has been in the public domain to date.


"It has allowed us to work with Crimewatch to build the most detailed reconstruction as yet, and highlight very specific appeal points.

"I hope that when the public see our investigative strands drawn together within the overall context of that appeal, it will bring in new information that moves our investigation forward."

DCI Redwood said that police had sought to "try and draw everything back to zero... take everything back to the beginning and then reanalyse and reassess everything, accepting nothing".
Phone records

He added: "The careful and critical analysis of the timeline has been absolutely key. Primarily, we are focused on the area between 8.30pm and 10pm.

"We know that at 8.30, that was the time that Mr and Mrs McCann went down to the tapas area for their dinner, and we know that at around 10pm, that was when Mrs McCann found that Madeleine was missing."


Madeleine's parents will make a live appeal in the studio during the programme and, ahead of the broadcast, they told the BBC how much they still miss her.

"When it's a special occasion, when you should be at your happiest, and Madeleine's not there, that's when it really hits home," Mr McCann said.

Mrs McCann added: "It's when you have the big family occasions... and you haven't got your complete family."

Earlier this month, police said phone records may be key to the case after it emerged officers were analysing data from phones belonging to people who were in Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished.

The Crimewatch appeal, which will be shown in the UK on BBC One on Monday from 2100 BST, will also be broadcast in the Netherlands and Germany.


It is interesting to note they now seem to be claiming the tennis ball picture is the last one taken of Maddie as kate and gerry played tennis, interesting except that picture shows a much older Maddie with longer hair and bags under her eyes and not the much younger Maddie as has been used to promote the campaign.

Mrs McCann added: "It's when you have the big family occasions... and you haven't got your complete family."
Interesting to note that kate uses the distancing pronouns of you and your rather than the expected we and our.
She tells us how we would feel if we had a family get together and there was a person missing rather than telling is how she feels when they have family gatherings and Maddie isn't there.

It is noticeable that kate uses a lot of distancing language in regard to Maddie, there is no maternal bond between her and Maddie and it shows in her language.

She goes to extremes of either using Madeleine at every moment (why so insistent on only Madeleine and not Maddie as used by the twins and family and friends? is it because Maddie was the good child and alive and Madeleine was the bad child and dead. Maddie alive was tolerated, suffered with, Madeleine was the hated child, not tolerated and glad to be rid of?) or she uses the term child (most parents use kids, when child is introduced is can indicate a poor relationship between parent and child even to the extent of physical and sexual abuse, it is worth noting when the terms Madeleine, child, daughter and kid all appear and if the change in language is warranted and also when it is Sean, Amelie or the twins.

Why would a parent, especially a mom distance herself from her kids?

Could this be why she had to have so much help, even to family and friends flying down to help for a couple of days or over the weekends?

Could it be they didn't trust her with the care of the kids? that the kids were in fact, at risk of harm from her?