The father of a young blonde girl who appeared on film on August 4 came forward to explain that his daughter was not the missing girl.
Lieve Pellens, spokesman for the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office, said: “He saw this picture and obviously for him it was very easy recognising the girl accompanied by a woman in a veil.
“It’s her nanny – she is a young Moroccan woman who is qualified to look after children and works in a care centre.”
Clarence Mitchell said: “I am very pleased that this little girl has been identified and that she can be ruled out, from her family’s perspective.
“Clearly for Kate and Gerry it is a disappointment. But we have had many of these before and the search for Madeleine will continue.”
The girl and woman were also seen on CCTV by a security guard at KBC bank to the west of Brussels. The guard said afterwards he would ‘bet everything he owned’ that the child he saw was the missing Briton.
Speculation over the girl’s identity increased after an ice cream seller in the city reported serving someone fitting Madeleine’s description.
Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing while on a family holiday in Portugal in May last year.
