Little Madeline: 'It's Time For Her To Come Home'

"If you're the perpetrator, that girl needs her family," John McCann told Sky News.

"It's time for her to come home.

"That wee girl loves her family. If you know something useful please contact the authorities. Make sure any sensible information gets to the police."

Madeleine's grandmother, Susan Healy, told Sky News the Portuguese police may have made mistakes at the beginning of the investigation due to "inexperience" but that it no longer mattered.

"There isn't much point in debating what went wrong because it doesn't achieve anything," she said.

Madeleine's family say they continue to remain "positive" as the search for the three-year-old goes on.

In a statement, the young girl's parents said: "We are grateful for all those taking part in the search for our daughter Madeleine.

"At present we are channelling all our emotions and all of our efforts into the steps that are being taken to secure Madeleine's safe return.

"We continue to remain positive and thank the public and media for their ongoing support in publicising the search for Madeleine."

Earlier, they released a poster to be circulated in a chain email to help find the youngster.

The 'e-poster' has been composed by Madeleine's aunt, Philomena McCann.

Thousands of Sky News Online viewers have downloaded the poster and forwarded the email.

Download your poster here  http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,91210-1264740,00.html

Ms McCann is the sister of Gerry McCann, Madeleine's father, and lives in Scotland. She told Sky News: "If people can help us get Madeleine back that's great. We need to get her back. We must find her. It's not an option to lose her.

"The whole family need her here. She's an integral member of this family. We all love children. Gerry and Kate (Madeleine's parents) have dedicated their lives to helping people."

:: Visit Sky News Online's special section for all the latest on the search for Madeleine.

The effort to find Madeleine has gone online in further ways.

An appeal has been launched by Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, and the international Virtual Global Taskforce.

On their websites, accessed in more than half the countries of the world, they are calling on anyone who has information to call the Portuguese police, or Crimestoppers in the UK.

Thousands of messages of support for the family are continuing to be sent to Sky News Online.

In Portugal, police have recovered another item of child's clothing but have not commented on whether it is Madeleine's or not.

There are reports police have been passed a CCTV tape from a service station near the town where Madeleine was taken showing a woman with a girl fitting the Briton's description.

The woman urged the girl to say thank you to staff but she appeared reluctant and acted like she wanted to say something.

British Ambassador John BuckThe N22 motorway cuts across the Algarve towards Spain.

Portuguese police are reported to be focusing their search on the possibility Madeleine may have been abducted by an organised paedophile organisation.

Two 'Cracker'-style criminal behaviour experts from the Child Exploitation and online Protection Centre - which tackles international child sex abuse - have arrived to help police.

One expert is understood to have worked on the investigation into the disappearance of Milly Dowler.

The move comes after details of British paedophiles with links to the Algarve were handed over to Portuguese investigators.

The British Ambassador defended Portugal's police in their efforts to trace the three-year-old.

John Buck said he had received assurances at the highest level that detectives are doing all they can to find Madeleine and that her parents were happy with the investigation.

Portuguese football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Ferreira, along with John Terry, have made video appeals for information to find Madeleine, from Rothley, near Leicester.

 The youngster disappeared on Thursday night after she was left with her brother and sister, two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie, in a holiday apartment.

Her parents had been dining in a nearby restaurant and checking on them regularly.

There are new numbers to call for people with any information:

If you are in the UK, call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

If you are in Portugal, call the Judicial Police +351 282 405 400 or Crimestoppers +44 1883 731 336.

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