The father of Madeleine McCann will appeal tonight for information about a man seen carrying a child close to the apartment where his daughter was abducted 33 days ago.

Gerry McCann, 39, will tell Crimewatch on BBC One that Portuguese police have still not traced the mystery figure seen by a family friend at about the time his daughter disappeared.

Asked if he thought that the suspect kidnapped his daughter, he said: “Potentially this could have been someone who could have been picking up a child from a crèche or coming back from dinner.

“But we are certainly suspicious of the timing and that person needs to be eliminated from the investigation. The description has been out for ten days and as far as we know, no one of that description has come forward, so that definitely gives it more weight.”

The man was approximately 35 years old, about 5ft 8in or 5ft 9in, with dark hair parted at the side and slightly longer at the back, and wearing a dark jacket slightly longer than a suit, beige trousers and dark shoes.

Madeleine’s mother, Kate McCann, will hold a pair of pyjamas identical to those worn by her daughter when she was taken from her bed in the town of Praia da Luz.

The McCanns have spoken of the “information void” that they have felt after Portuguese detectives failed to update them on the investigation for more than a week.

Kate and Gerry McCann will travel to Germany tonight, then to the Netherlands, to promote the international search for their daughter.

Before leaving Portugal the couple hope to meet detectives for the first time in 12 days. The couple have had no briefing directly from Portuguese officers since May 24, only information passed to them via British police. A planned meeting with Portuguese police officials fell through last week.

Mr McCann told Fox News that the couple understood that Portuguese laws meant that the police were unable to give them details of all leads.

The couple do not want to be seen criticising the Portuguese authorities but have expressed frustration at a three-week delay in issuing the description of a man they are convinced abducted their daughter. A public appeal for information was made only after the intervention of Gordon Brown.

The couple fly to Berlin tonight, where they hope to meet Brigitte Zypries, the German Justice Minister, who last month used Madeleine’s abduction as an example of the need for closer international cooperation. Plans are also being put in place for a final trip to Rabat in Morocco, which has good transport connections with Praia da Luz.

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