McCanns attend anniversary service

Family, friends and well-wishers joined Kate and Gerry McCann last night to mark the first anniversary of their daughter Madeleine's disappearance, with church services in Britain and Portugal.

Candles were due to be lit between 9.15pm and 10pm – the time the four-year-old is believed to have been abducted from the family's holiday apartment in the Portuguese town of Praia de Luz on 3 May last year.

The McCanns, who were named as official suspects by the Portuguese police, yesterday attended a church service for Madeleine in their home town of Rothley, Leicestershire.

A tearful Kate McCann asked the congregation to "pray like mad" for her daughter and thanked the community for their support.

The couple have just launched a new phone line and poster campaign for their daughter's return. Lawyers advised them not to return to Portugal, but representatives of the McCann family attended a service in Praia de Luz. The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, composed a prayer for her safe return.