The father of missing Madeleine McCann has said it was “unforgivable” that Portuguese people may have been led to believe his daughter was dead.

Gerry McCann was reacting to news of an injunction against the further publication of a book called The Truth of the Lie by Goncalo Amaral, a former policeman who investigated the disappearance of the youngster.

In the book, Mr Amaral alleges Madeleine is dead and that her parents Kate and Gerry McCann were somehow involved in her disappearance.

Speaking at a news conference at the Rothley Court Hotel in Leicestershire, Mr McCann (41) said: “There's a lot of people in Portugal, who might have evidence, that believe Madeleine is dead.

“If people believe that they won't search for her and they won't come forward with information.

“I know for a fact people have been told Madeleine is dead. There is no evidence to support that and that is unforgivable.”

Madeleine disappeared from her family's apartment during a holiday to the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in May 2007.

The decision by Lisbon's main civil court means that copies of the book which are still on sale have to be passed on to the McCanns' solicitors so that, if they choose, the books can be destroyed.

The decision to impose the injunction comes after a year-long campaign by the McCanns' lawyers to prevent the publication of the book and a DVD.

It also applies to a TV programme about Madeleine's disappearance which Mr Amaral produced several months ago, and the rights for a subsequent film. The documentary remains available on YouTube.

Kate McCann (41) was not present at yesterday's news consequence, where her husband said the family would be pursuing damages and compensation against Mr Amaral.

Any money awarded by the courts as compensation would be ploughed back into the Find Madeleine Fund, which is paying private investigators to search for the youngster.

Mr Amaral previously worked on the investigation into the disappearance of the three-year-old but was removed from it after he criticised British police.

The injunction, granted yesterday after a hearing last week, means he has to ensure all unsold copies of the book are removed from shops and warehouses across Europe or he faces a €1,000-a-day (£877) fine.

It is understood that Mr Amaral has 30 days to appeal against the injunction.

The McCanns say they felt they had to launch the legal action because, as they tried to produce a fresh documentary earlier this year appealing for evidence in the search for their daughter, at the same time Mr Amaral was claiming that Madeleine was dead.