The parents of Madeleine McCann have launched a fresh legal battle as they fight shocking claims they had something to do with their daughter's abduction.

Kate and Gerry McCann’s lawyer confirmed the move after a Portuguese court ruling failed to clear them over any involvement in their daughter’s disappearance. 

Last month, Portugal's Supreme Court ruled that missing Madeleine McCann's parents could not sue for libel against former detective Goncalo Amaral who alleged in a book that the McCanns were involved in Madeleine's disappearance. 

Glasgow Times:

However, Kate and Gerry McCann are now launching a legal case over comments made by the judges in the 76-page ruling.

“It should not be said that the appellants were cleared via the ruling announcing the archiving of the criminal case,” the ruling said.

It stated the decision “was determined by the fact that public prosecutors hadn't managed to obtain sufficient evidence of the crimes by the appellants”.

Madeleine disappeared from a holiday home in Portugal's Algarve region in May 2007, days before her 4th birthday.

Mr Amaral had argued in his defence that the claims in his 2008 book The Truth of the Lie stemmed from the police investigation.

Portuguese police closed the investigation after detecting no evidence of a crime but British police are still looking into it.

Madeleine's disappearance sparked global interest as pictures of her and her grieving parents were published around the world.