McCanns 'Disappointed' After Ex-Cop Who Claimed They Hid Daughter Maddie Wins Appeal

Gerry and Kate McCann shared that they are "disappointed" after ex-cop Goncalo Amaral of Portugal, who was part of the police investigation into daughter Madeleine's infamous disappearance, won a libel appeal against them.

The trial began following the 2008 release of Amaral's tell-all book, The Truth of the Lie, which alleged that the couple's missing daughter had died in her parents' vacation suite and they had covered it up.

The McCanns sued Amaral for libel shortly after, claiming that the book had devastating effects on their family in the wake of Maddie's eerie disappearance.

"I believe after the book things got worse and were compounded because we were in a more desperate situation and felt defeated," Kate told the court in 2014. "I do believe in freedom of speech, but I don't believe freedom of speech means the freedom to slander."

However, the couple was left "disappointed after three appeal judges ruled in the former Portuguese police chief's favor," thus relieving Amaral from paying a whopping $568,000 in compensation.

"I have just learnt that the three appeal court judges have decided to overturn the original decision in favor of my clients. It was a unanimous decision. The original decision has been revoked," the couple's Portuguese lawyer, Isabel Duarte, released in a statement. "We are obviously disappointed but I am not surprised because one of the judges ruled in favor of a previous appeal overturning a ban on the book."

"This decision was an appreciation of the law and not the facts," she continued. "We can appeal to the Supreme Court, which we will do as we have instructions from our clients."

Meanwhile, the McCanns continue their search for little Maddie, who would turn 13 next month.

47-year-old Kate recently revealed her instincts of her daughter's whereabouts, stating that the Praia da Luz resort where she first went missing is "where I feel closest to her."