The parents of missing Madeleine McCann, claim they are suing the former Portuguese police chief who was in charge of investigating their daughter's disappearance.
Kate and Gerry McCann are taking legal action over comments made in a book by ex-cop Goncalo Amaral, after he accuses both parents of concealing Maddie's body..
The couple are fighting to prevent further publication of his book called The Truth of the Lie in which Amaral claims the youngster is dead.
The McCann's also want to stop him from making a documentary explaining his theory of why he thinks they are involved in the little girls disappearance.
Liverpool born Kate, and her Glaswegian husband Gerry, recently marked the second anniversary since their eldest daughter went missing in Praia da Luz, Portugal.
In a statement, Kate and Gerry said: "Together with our three children Madeleine, Sean and Amelie, we are taking this legal action against Goncalo Amaral over his entirely unfounded and grossly defamatory claims -- made in all types of media, both within Portugal and beyond -- that Madeleine is not only dead, but that we, her parents, were somehow involved in concealing her body."
"The primary reason for our legal action is simple: to stop any negative effect that these absurd and deeply hurtful claims may be having on the ongoing search for Madeleine.
"We can no longer stand back and watch as Mr Amaral tries to convince the entire world that Madeleine is dead, nor can we allow this blatant injustice to Madeleine, with its obvious risk of hindering our attempts to find her, to continue.
"Mr Amaral's entirely unjustified claims have not only brought indescribable devastation and suffering to our lives, they have hugely compounded the already immense pain and anxiety we have endured since Madeleine's abduction."
The search has been taken up by private UK detectives financed by a public appeal set up by the McCann family after Portuguese police stopped investigating the case.
A recent photo was constructed of Madeleine, who would now be six years old.
Earlier this month a picture of a dark-haired man with pock-marked skin was released in fresh hope that someone would recognise the man seen watching the apartment leading up to her disappearance.
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