Lets Hope that they donate all the monies to the The Madeleine Fund
Seven friends who were dining with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter Madeleine disappeared are to receive damages from a newspaper group.
Express Newspapers said it was paying a "substantial" sum for publishing untrue allegations about the so-called tapas seven's conduct in the case.
The seven are Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien, Fiona and David Payne, Matthew and Rachel Oldfield and Diane Webster.
Madeleine, three, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Portugal in May 2007.
Further details of the payout are expected to emerge at the High Court later.
Both the Daily Express and the Daily Star newspapers have published apologies to the individuals in Thursday's editions.
'Completely untrue'
These are expected to be repeated in the Sunday Express.
The papers said the apologies related to allegations published between July and December 2007.
They said: "We now accept these should never have been made and were completely untrue."
The payout will be donated to the Find Madeline Fund, the paper said.
Madeleine was in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, with her younger twin siblings when she disappeared on 3 May 2007 - just eight days before her fourth birthday.
Mr and Mrs McCann were having dinner with their friends at a tapas restaurant 100 yards from the apartment at the time.
The friends have since been dubbed the tapas seven by the media.
When Mrs McCann returned to check on the children at 2200 local time, she realised Madeleine had disappeared.
On 15 May 2007, British-born Robert Murat was made an official suspect - or "arguido" - in the case and in September that year Madeleine's parents were also formally named as suspects.
But the police inquiry into the girl's disappearance was wound up this July because of a lack of evidence.
Previous payouts
The McCanns and Mr Murat - who have always strongly denied having had any involvement in what happened to Madeleine - were then declared to no longer be formal suspects
Thursday's newspaper apologies are not the first about articles relating to the case.
Last month The News of the World apologised for publishing extracts of Kate McCann's diary without her permission.
In July Mr Murat accepted a £600,000 damages settlement over allegations in 11 UK newspapers that he had been involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
In March, Madeleine's parents won a libel settlement and apology from Express Newspapers for suggesting they had been responsible.
The newspaper group paid £550,000 to the Find Madeleine campaign and the Daily Express and Daily Star both carried front-page apologies under the headline, "Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry".
Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | UK | McCann friends to receive damages
Published: 2008/10/16 07:21:27 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
Seven friends who were dining with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter Madeleine disappeared are to receive damages from a newspaper group.
Express Newspapers said it was paying a "substantial" sum for publishing untrue allegations about the so-called tapas seven's conduct in the case.
The seven are Jane Tanner, Russell O'Brien, Fiona and David Payne, Matthew and Rachel Oldfield and Diane Webster.
Madeleine, three, of Rothley, Leics, went missing in Portugal in May 2007.
Further details of the payout are expected to emerge at the High Court later.
Both the Daily Express and the Daily Star newspapers have published apologies to the individuals in Thursday's editions.
'Completely untrue'
These are expected to be repeated in the Sunday Express.
The papers said the apologies related to allegations published between July and December 2007.
They said: "We now accept these should never have been made and were completely untrue."
The payout will be donated to the Find Madeline Fund, the paper said.
Madeleine was in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, with her younger twin siblings when she disappeared on 3 May 2007 - just eight days before her fourth birthday.
Mr and Mrs McCann were having dinner with their friends at a tapas restaurant 100 yards from the apartment at the time.
The friends have since been dubbed the tapas seven by the media.
When Mrs McCann returned to check on the children at 2200 local time, she realised Madeleine had disappeared.
On 15 May 2007, British-born Robert Murat was made an official suspect - or "arguido" - in the case and in September that year Madeleine's parents were also formally named as suspects.
But the police inquiry into the girl's disappearance was wound up this July because of a lack of evidence.
Previous payouts
The McCanns and Mr Murat - who have always strongly denied having had any involvement in what happened to Madeleine - were then declared to no longer be formal suspects
Thursday's newspaper apologies are not the first about articles relating to the case.
Last month The News of the World apologised for publishing extracts of Kate McCann's diary without her permission.
In July Mr Murat accepted a £600,000 damages settlement over allegations in 11 UK newspapers that he had been involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
In March, Madeleine's parents won a libel settlement and apology from Express Newspapers for suggesting they had been responsible.
The newspaper group paid £550,000 to the Find Madeleine campaign and the Daily Express and Daily Star both carried front-page apologies under the headline, "Kate and Gerry McCann: Sorry".
Story from BBC NEWS:
BBC NEWS | UK | McCann friends to receive damages
Published: 2008/10/16 07:21:27 GMT
© BBC MMVIII
