FRIENDS of Kate and Gerry McCann have been told to prepare to be made official suspects as they face further questioning by the Portuguese police.

Detectives want to clarify a series of inconsistencies in the statements of seven friends who were dining with the McCanns on the evening of the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Their lawyers have now warned them that they may be “arguidos”, or suspects. “It would be a procedural matter, so that they could ask them more probing questions,” said a source close to the legal team. “But they need to be prepared because people in the UK might not see it like that.”

The McCanns’ lawyers are also examining the results of independent tests on the family’s hire car. Police sources have claimed that sniffer dogs found “bodily fluids” in the boot that were a match with Madeleine’s DNA.

According to the source, independent tests conducted on behalf of the McCanns have found the DNA “does not conclusively match Madeleine’s”. The source said: “We are happy that the results are supportive of our assertion.”

Last week it was claimed that detectives were focusing on three “windows of opportunity” directly linked to the McCanns’ movements before and during dinner on the evening of May 3, suggesting police remain convinced they were involved in their daughter’s death.

Alipio Ribeiro, national director of the Policia Judiciaria, said last month that formal letters requesting interviews with the friends of the McCanns had been drawn up.

Four of the seven are thought to be of particular interest to the detectives.

The most important witnesses are Russell O’Brien, a hospital consultant from Exeter, and his girlfriend, Jane Tanner. O’Brien was away from the table for at least 15 minutes and Kate McCann discovered that her daughter was missing 10 minutes later.

O’Brien believes the interview will be a chance to clear his name and says he was looking after his daughter, who had a stomach upset. Tanner insists that she discovered Madeleine had disappeared only when she heard shouting outside her apartment as the family searched for their child.

Times Recommends

• Rio Tinto four held as China prepares case
• Diplomats must keep heads down and trousers up
• When in Rome should one make like Berlusconi?