Scotland's papers: New prime suspect in search for Madeleine McCann
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The news that a new suspect has been identified in the case of Madeleine McCann, 13 years after she disappeared in Portugal, leads many of Scotland's front pages. The Daily Express says the new "prime suspect" is a 43-year-old German man who was known to be in Praia da Luz when the three-year-old disappeared.
The Daily Mail calls the new development a "bombshell", and poses the question: "Have they found the man who took Maddie?" The paper says the suspect was renting a "ramshackle farm building" two miles from Praia da Luz where the McCann family were staying. German police also suggested there may have been other people involved who are still at large, the paper adds.
The Scottish Sun asks whether a yellow and white VW camper van linked to the suspect was used in Madeleine's disappearance. The paper devotes several pages to the new development, and also focuses on a "mystery call" the suspect received on his mobile an hour before the three-year-old vanished.
The Daily Telegraph says friends of Kate and Gerry McCann have called the new line of inquiry the biggest development in the case since Madeleine went missing 13 years ago. The Telegraph reports that the suspect is a "multiple" child sex offender serving a lengthy jail term, and he first came to the attention of Metropolitan Police officers after the 10-year anniversary appeal in 2017.
The i newspaper says police have released mobile phone numbers in a bid to "pin down" the suspect's movements. It also reports that Madeleine's parents have welcomed the new development and said they "will never give up hope" of finding her alive but "whatever the outcome may be, we need to know".
The Daily Star describes the suspect - who has not been named by police - as a "German drifter". It reports that Scotland Yard is launching a joint appeal with German and Portuguese police with a £20,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of the person responsible for Madeleine's disappearance.
The Times says German police believe the suspect broke into the McCanns' holiday apartment and spontaneously committed the kidnapping. But its top story is on Boris Johnson's plan to quarantine everyone entering the UK for two weeks from Monday. Leading scientists have warned the plan makes "no sense", the Times says, adding the government's group of scientific advisers were not consulted on the decision.
The Daily Record also leads with the Madeleine McCann story, which it also describes as a "bombshell revelation".
In other news, The Herald reports that cash-strapped councils across Scotland have still not been given the £155m promised to them by Finance Secretary Kate Forbes amid a warning over an extra £100m “black hole” in town hall finances, with that deficit set to rise in the coming months.
The Scotsman leads with calls from tourism leaders for the Scottish Government to relax the two-metre social distancing rule - amid claims tens of thousands of jobs across the industry are hanging in the balance. The paper says that more than 25 different organisations have joined forces to call for the move, claiming Scotland faces being left behind countries around the world unless the restriction is cut in half.
Scotland's former chief medical officer has criticised the decision by Boris Johnson’s government to reopen primary schools in England this week, reports The National. Sir Harry Burns said it was “far too early” in the pandemic to allow some pupils to return to classes as lots of the virus was still present. He said a second outbreak of Covid-19 would make older teachers vulnerable.
The P&J leads with claims that coronavirus testing and the reopening of schools could be put at risk unless councils get an urgent funding lifeline.
The Courier says less than half the Tayside care homes with ongoing coronavirus cases have completed testing of all staff and residents more than a month after the Scottish government announced its landmark policy.
The Edinburgh Evening News leads with concerns that the six-year tram inquiry has taken longer then the building of the track.
The Aberdeen Evening Express reports on fears of a health staff shortage as care bosses create a plan to cope with the impact of test and trace.
The Glasgow Times says coronavirus has brought a fresh wave of job cuts with hundreds of jobs to go at the Rolls Royce plant in Renfrewshire and staff at Glasgow's only five-star hotel facing redundancy.
The Evening Telegraph dedicates its front page to a former Dundee FC player being accused of an attack with a bat.
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