Madeleine McCann: Police In High-Tech Search

Madeleine: Key Events Timeline

Updated: 10:22am UK, Monday 02 June 2014

Here is a timeline of the key events since Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

2007

:: May 3 - Kate and Gerry McCann leave their three children asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz while they dine with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant.

Jane Tanner, one of the friends eating with the McCanns, later reports seeing a man carrying a child away earlier that night.

:: May 5 - Portuguese police reveal they believe Madeleine was abducted but is still alive and in Portugal, and say they have a sketch of a suspect.

:: May 14 - Detectives take Anglo-Portuguese man Robert Murat in for questioning and make him an "arguido", or official suspect.

:: May 25 - Detectives release a description of the man reported by Jane Tanner three weeks earlier after pressure from the McCanns, their legal team and the British Government.

:: May 30 - Mr and Mrs McCann meet the Pope in Rome in the first of a series of trips around Europe and beyond to highlight the search for their daughter.

:: August 6 - A Portuguese newspaper reports that British sniffer dogs have found traces of blood on a wall in the McCanns' holiday apartment.

:: August 11 - Exactly 100 days after Madeleine disappeared, investigating officers publicly acknowledge for the first time that she could be dead.

:: September 7 - During further questioning of Mr and Mrs McCann, detectives make them both "arguidos" in their daughter's disappearance.

:: September 9 - The McCanns fly back to England with their two-year-old twins Sean and Amelie.

:: October 2 - Goncalo Amaral, the detective in charge of the inquiry, is removed from the case after criticising the British police in a Portuguese newspaper interview.

:: October 25 - The McCanns release a new artist's impression drawn by an FBI-trained expert showing the man described by Jane Tanner.

2008

:: March 19 - Mr and Mrs McCann accept £550,000 libel damages and front-page apologies from Express Newspapers over allegations they were responsible for Madeleine's death.

:: April 7 - Three Portuguese detectives, led by Paulo Rebelo, fly to Britain to re-interview the seven friends on holiday with the McCanns when Madeleine vanished.

:: July 17 - Mr Murat receives £600,000 in libel damages from four newspaper groups over "seriously defamatory" articles connecting him with the child's disappearance.

:: July 21 - The Portuguese authorities shelve their investigation and lift the "arguido" status of the McCanns and Mr Murat.

:: August 4 - Thousands of pages of evidence from the Portuguese police files in the exhaustive investigation into Madeleine's disappearance are made public.

2009

:: January 13 - Mr McCann returns to Portugal for the first time since coming back to the UK without his daughter.

:: March 24 - The McCanns launch a localised new appeal for information focused on the area in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared.

:: April 4 - Mr McCann goes back to Portugal to help film a reconstruction of the events on the night his daughter vanished.

:: April 22 - The McCanns fly to the US to record an interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey to mark two years since Madeleine's disappearance.

:: June 14 - Dying paedophile Raymond Hewlett says he was in the Algarve when Madeleine disappeared and has an alibi - but has no plans to reveal it.

:: August 6 - Detectives say they are hunting a "Victoria Beckham lookalike" with an Australian or New Zealand accent, reportedly seen in Barcelona three days after the little girl went missing.

2010

:: Feb 18 -  Kate and Gerry McCann say they are "pleased and relieved" at a judge's decision to uphold a ban on a book by former detective Goncalo Amaral.

:: Mar 3 -  A newly-released file from Portugese police on possible sightings is called "gold dust" and could lead to a breakthrough, says a spokesman for the McCanns.

:: May 1 - Kate McCann reveals she had thoughts about being "wiped out" in a motorway crash to end the pain of losing Madeleine - but vows never to give up.

:: November 10 - Madeleine's parents launch an online petition to help force a UK and Portuguese joint review of all evidence in the case.

:: November 15 -  The McCanns sign a deal to write a book about their daughter's disappearance.

2011

:: May 13 - The Prime Minister David Cameron asks London's Metropolitan Police to help investigate the case.

:: November 23 - Kate and Gerry McCann appear at the Leveson Inquiry into media ethics.

They tell how media pressure affected their family life and accuse newspaper editors of hampering the search for their missing daughter.

Kate McCann says she felt "violated" when her diary was published without her permission.

:: December 5 - Scotland Yard detectives spend time in Barcelona as part of their re-examination of the case.

2012

:: March 9 - Portuguese police in Oporto launch a review of the original investigation.

:: April 26 - Scotland Yard says Madeleine McCann may still be alive and release an artist's impression of what she may look like as a nine-year-old.

:: July 6 - British detectives examine a claim that the little girl's body is buried near the apartment from where she vanished. It comes after a self-styled investigator sends police radar scans he claims show a burial site.

2013

:: February 11 - Gerry McCann calls for politicians to implement the conclusions of the Leveson Inquiry in full, backed by legislation.

:: February 13 - Police say the results of DNA tests on a girl in New Zealand who was mistaken for Madeleine reveal that she is not the missing British girl.

:: February 21 - Retired solicitor Tony Bennett who published claims that Madeleine McCann's parents caused her death is given a suspended jail sentence.

:: May 2 - Madeleine McCann's parents tell Sky News a police review into their daughter's disappearance is making "excellent progress" as they mark the sixth anniversary since she went missing.

:: May 17 - Scotland Yard say they have identified a number of "people of interest" they want to speak to. It believes it has found enough evidence to reopen the case but the Portuguese authorities are still resistant. 

:: June 15 - The Home Office agrees to fund a full-scale investigation by the Metropolitan Police.

:: October 13 - UK detectives reviewing the case say key details in the timeline of her disappearance have "significantly changed".

:: October 14 - A fresh appeal is launched in a bid to find a suspect detectives say is of "vital importance", with two new separate e-fits - thought to be of the same man seen on the night Madeleine went missing - released by police.

:: October 17 - Detective Chief Inspector Andy Redwood, who is leading the Scotland Yard team, Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, and Mr and Mrs McCann meet officers in Lisbon to be briefed on the Portuguese case.

:: October 23 - Britain's most senior police officer Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe defends the way the Portuguese dealt with the initial investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, saying it would have been "very difficult" to immediately know if they were dealing with a serious crime.

:: October 24 - Detectives in Portugal reopen the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance after an internal review uncovers new lines of inquiry and witnesses who were never questioned during the original Portuguese investigation.

2014

:: January 3 - A family source says Kate and Gerry McCann have been denied permission to give evidence at a Portuguese libel trial over a book about the case by former local police chief Goncalo Amaral.

:: January 13 - British police investigate three burglars who were in the area when Madeleine disappeared, and whose phones were apparently "red hot" after she went missing. A letter is sent to Portuguese police asking for help to track them down.

:: January 29 - Scotland Yard officers, including the detective leading the case, fly to Portugal to meet police there and discuss the latest developments.

:: March 19 - Officers from Operation Grange launch a search for a man who sexually assaulted five British girls in the Algarve between 2004 and 2006.

:: April 23 - Detectives identify five new cases where a lone intruder abused young British girls in holiday apartments in the Algarve.

:: May 1 - Kate and Gerry McCann give an interview to Sky News where they are desperate to find out what happened to Madeleine, even if it is the "worst case scenario" as they back calls for a Child Rescue Alert service similar to the Amber Alert system in the US.

:: May 6 - Scotland Yard plans to dig for evidence in three locations in Praia da Luz are approved, with officers set to use ground penetrating radar.

:: May 8 - British Officers reportedly use a military helicopter to photograph potential excavation sites and hold a four-hour meeting with Portuguese colleagues to agree a timetable for new searches.

:: May 22 - Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley says the investigation will enter a "substantial phase of operational activity" in Portugal in the coming weeks. 

:: June 2 - Portuguese police seal off an area of scrubland to the west of Praia da Luz as they prepare to examine the potential excavation site.

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'Muslim School Plot' Fears Were Raised In 1994

By Afua Hirsch, Social Affairs And Education Editor

Fears that hardline Muslim governors have been infiltrating Birmingham schools go back at least two decades, and were raised with the government in 1994.

Sky News has learned that senior leaders at three schools in Birmingham were so concerned about the influence of Muslim extremists in the 1990s they took their fears to the top.

In a letter to education ministers, copied to then Prime Minister John Major, the heads said extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir was gaining an alarming influence over schools in the city.

Former chair of governors at Golden Hillock School, John Ray, met with then education minister Emily Blatch in Westminster.

He says that had the government acted then, the current trend - in which conservative Muslims have been able to dominate school leadership - could have been averted.

Former chair of governors John Ray expressed concerns in 1994

"(The Trojan Horse plot) reveals something, something that is true," said Mr Ray.

"It reveals a mess that the city council has not been able to check - the development of this whole infiltration of this ceding in of governors of one particular ideology. They are not people who have the welfare of these children at heart."

Like many, Mr Ray believes the content of the so-called Trojan Horse letter, which alleges a plot to oust non-hardline Muslims from schools in Birmingham, is a fake. But he maintains the concerns themselves are very real.

He resigned after 25 years as a governor at Golden Hillock School - one of the schools at the centre of the alleged plot - last year when it was taken over by the Park View Educational Trust, the organisation headed by Tahir Alam, who is accused of exerting pressure on state-funded, secular schools to conform to conservative Islam.

A letter sent to government ministers in 1994

Concerns about Mr Alam and the influence of the Park View Educational Trust have led to a spate of high-level investigations by Ofsted, the Department for Education and Birmingham City Council.

Golden Hillock is now expected to be placed in special measures following the results of an Ofsted inspection to be published next week.

The Department for Education says it has been tackling extremism in schools since 2010, and Birmingham City Council is conducting an investigation which will also look at retrospective evidence.

But details of claims going back two decades will place further pressure on the authorities to explain why it took so long to act.

"I think the city council but also central government and all parties were very reluctant to question the received wisdom that suggests it is fair enough that a separate Islamic identity should be stressed," said Mr Ray.

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Missing Brit's Mum Jets To Jungle Island

The mum of a Brit missing in the Malaysian jungle is set to arrive on the island where he was last seen a week ago.

Paramilitary commandos and sniffer dogs have joined the hunt for Gareth Huntley, who is on a sabbatical from his job in the City.

The Foreign Office have confirmed five helicopters will now be deployed as the search intensifies.

The 34-year-old, who lives in Hackney, disappeared while trekking to visit a waterfall in Tioman Island, off the south eastern coast of the country's mainland.

Mum Janet Southwell will arrive in Malaysia on Monday

Mr Huntley's girlfriend, Kit Natariga, arrived on the island on Sunday and will now be joined by his mother, Janet Southwell.

"It's really tough, especially coming onto the island," Ms Natariga told Sky News.

"It's beautiful, a paradise place, and I know Gareth's out there in the jungle somewhere. Every time I look out of the window, I hope I'll see him.

"It's very difficult ... he's in danger and time is running out."

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has been assured by the Malaysians that "all available search assets" are being used to find Mr Huntley.

Gareth Huntley and his girlfriend Kit Natariga

Patrol boats are being used to help trace the accountant, and there is speculation that specialist military personnel from Britain, based in nearby Brunei, could join the search.

Mr Huntley's younger brother Mark said the family were staying positive.

"We want to personally thank David Cameron and Philip Hammond for their reassurances," he said. "It is a very big positive for us.

"We are, of course, very grateful to the Malaysian people and the authorities for their work too. Everyone has been fantastic.

"We are told that local people went out to look for Gareth as soon as he was first described as missing - so without them there would not be a search mission.

The Briton's disappearance is described as out of character

"What we need now is for that work to continue and to find my brother."

Mr Huntley, originally from West Yorkshire, set off on Tuesday telling friends at the Juara Turtle Project where he was volunteering that he would return by 2pm.

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Two Die As Car And Pack Of Motorbikes Collide

Two motorcyclists have been killed and five other people are in hospital after a car collided with a pack of motorbikes.

The crash happened on the A5104 at Pontblyddyn, around 10 miles north of Wrexham on the England-Wales border.

Two people died at the scene and five casualties were taken to hospital by ambulance and air ambulance after the collision which involved six motorbikes.

The condition of the injured is not known.

Specialist officers examined the scene as the road was closed with diversions put in place.

None of those involved in the crash have been identified.

Inspector Gareth Jones, of North Wales Police, said: "The incident involved a car and six motorcycles - two riders of which sadly passed away at the scene.

"Five further casualties were conveyed to hospital by the Helimed and ambulance. An update is awaited on their condition.

"Officers remain on scene continuing with their investigations."

A file has been prepared for a coroner, police said.

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Nurse Rui Li's Husband Charged With Murder

The husband of nurse Rui Li, who was discovered dead in a car in Bournemouth, has been charged with her murder, police say.

Pierre Legris, 60, will appear before Bournemouth Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Legris's 26-year-old son, also from Bournemouth, remains in custody after Dorset Police were given additional time to question him.

Officers discovered the body of 44-year-old Ms Li "concealed within a silver Fiat Punto", along Verwood Crescent in north Bournemouth on Friday - some four miles from her home in Burnham Drive.

Her distinctive Porsche Boxter, with the personalised number plate L1 RUI, was found outside a property in Wolverton Road.

She was last seen by her 18-year-old daughter more than a week ago and reported missing on Tuesday.

Detective Inspector Marcus Hester, of the major crime investigation team, said: "Family Liaison Officers have updated Rui's daughter with these developments - clearly, this is a very difficult time for her as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her mother."

The scene where Ms Li's body was found

He also continued to appeal for friends and family to come forward so detectives could "build a full picture" of her lifestyle.

"This latest development does not mean we do not want to hear from members of the public if they have any information that could help with the investigation into Rui Li's death," he said.

"We still very much want to hear from anyone who may have any information about what happened to Rui Li."

Formal identification has not yet taken place and the inquest will be opened in due course, police said.

Ms Li was last seen alive by her 18-year-old daughter, Lu Yao, at her home on May 23.

Miss Yao had previously made an emotional appeal for her "loving mum" to get in touch, saying: "My mum is a very conscientious and caring nurse and never lets anyone down."

Detectives said Ms Li moved to the UK from China a decade ago and had worked at Poole General Hospital since 2009.

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Scotland Rally Crashes: Three Spectators Killed

Three spectators have been killed and six others injured after two separate crashes during the Jim Clark Rally in Scotland.

Race organisers abandoned the event following the second crash, which took place at Little Swindon, near Coldstream.

Police say one woman and two men died when a car came off the road and struck four spectators.

Emergency crews pronounced the three spectators dead at the scene of the crash, which occurred around 4pm on Saturday.

The fourth spectator, a man, was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmity in a critical condition.

Two hours earlier another rally car left the road near Crosshall Farm, striking five people.

Three men were initially taken to Borders General Hospital, however one was later transferred to an intensive care unit in Edinburgh.

Police attend the crash scene in the Scottish Borders

The remaining two spectators were treated for minor injuries.

Police say the two drivers involved in the crashes were unhurt.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has expressed his condolences following the two accidents.

"This is desperately sad and difficult news from the Borders of the tragic circumstances that have occurred at the Jim Clark Rally," he said.

"The police have confirmed three fatalities and my thoughts are with all of those involved and the families and loved ones of those who have lost their lives.

"The government is in contact with Police Scotland and we await the outcome of their inquiries. The Jim Clark Rally is a long-standing event of over 40 years.

Alex Salmond: "This is desperately sad and difficult news"

"It is much loved in the Borders and by the rally driving community who I know will share in our sadness at what is a black day for the Borders and for Scotland."

Spectator Tommy Tait was watching the race close to the location of one of the crashes.

He wrote on Facebook: "We must be like cats have nine lives never have we been so close to getting wiped out by a rally car our thoughts go out to the 4 who got hit (sic)."

The Jim Clark Rally takes place over three days on closed roads in the Duns and Kelso areas.

The rally course is described on the event's website as having "a reputation for being fast with big jumps, ditches and hedges".

The event is named after Scottish Formula One driver Jim Clark, who was raised in the area. Clark died in a motor racing accident in Hockenheim, Germany, in 1968.

The organisers of the race said in a statement: "The organisers of the Jim Clark Rally would like to extend their heartfelt condolences and sympathy to all of the families and their friends who have been affected by today's (Saturday's) tragic events.

"Our thoughts are especially with those who have lost family members and to the families of the injured spectators.

"All members of the organising team are in shock and are cooperating fully with Police Scotland to establish the facts."

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Thousands In 'Thumbs Up' Tribute To Stephen

By Lisa Dowd, Midlands Correspondent

Thousands of people have posted "thumbs up" photos on social media in memory of fundraiser Stephen Sutton.

Using #thumbsupforstephen, the idea was launched by hundreds who gathered at Lichfield Cathedral for his public farewell ceremony, the culmination of a two-day vigil attended by some 10,000 people.

Crowds of people give a thumbs up outside Lichfield Cathedral

It was followed by spontaneous applause for the teenager who lost his fight with cancer on May 14 and whose fundraising campaign has raised more than £4m.

The hashtag quickly caught on and Twitter said around 11,000 tweets had been sent accompanied by #thumbsupforstephen in an hour.

Among those in the crowd was comedian Jason Manford, who helped the teenager spread the message online.

Stephen's mother Jane and brother Chris prepare to release yellow balloons

He told Sky News: "For everybody that's been touched by Stephen I think, even in your darkest moments and the times when you think you can't go on, just remember some of the words Stephen said and hopefully that'll pick you up."

Shelley Checkley told Sky News that Stephen had once given an "inspiring and awesome" talk to her children.

She said: "It was amazing to know him and always see him smile, always be positive, never, never sad.

"I've known him give help to adults with cancer and made them feel more positive, he was an amazing person.

Sienna Riley's family posted a picture on Twitter. Pic: @sarahhancoxuk

"He's made me feel more determined that every day you do everything right and don't moan about things that are insignificant or petty and live every day to the full."

Among those posting photos online in tribute to Stephen was three-year-old Sienna Riley, who has battled cancer since she was 20 months old.

Her aunt Sarah Hancox, 31, said Sienna's family - who are raising money for her treatment - posted a snap because they had been inspired by what Stephen had done to raise money and awareness.

Comedian Jason Manford, who backed Stephen's campaign, gives a thumbs up

When he was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer, Stephen set about raising thousands of pounds for charity.

After Stephen posted a photograph online earlier this year, showing him giving the thumbs up while he was in hospital, the appeal went viral.

By the time he died the total raised for the Teenage Cancer Trust was well above £3m, and the figure has kept on rising.

Stephen's coffin left the cathedral accompanied by drummers from Pandemonium, who performed at the opening ceremony of the Olympics, to reflect his love of music.

He had said he wanted "fun" put into his funeral, and chose the colour yellow as his emblem to signify happiness and sunshine.

Stephen's mother Jane and brother Chris released yellow balloons in his memory and people left yellow bouquets outside the cathedral.

RNLI members from Gravesend, St Abbs, Poole and North Berwick. Pic: RNLI

Ben Wigley, a friend of Stephen's, told Sky News that musicians had made a record called Hope Ain't a Bad Thing to raise further money for charity.

He said Stephen had heard the song and "loved it".

He said: "He was a pleasure to be around, it was hard not to smile, he lifted the spirits of everyone.

"He wanted for the funeral as little black as possible, to celebrate his life not mourn his death."

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Retailers' Credit Union To Defy Payday Lenders

By Mark Kleinman, City Editor

Some of Britain's biggest high street names, including New Look and Next, are forming a credit union that will offer staff an alternative to the sky-high interest rates charged by payday lenders.

Sky News has learnt that RetailCure, which has also received backing from entrepreneurs such as Rymans owner Theo Paphitis, is drawing up plans to launch later this year.

The new venture has received start-up funding of £1m and will eventually be accessible to the 4.8 million people who work directly in retail or in related sectors of the economy, half of whom earn less than £8 an hour.

It will be chaired by John Lovering, a veteran retailer who has led buyouts of companies including Debenhams, Homebase and Somerfield.

Speaking to Sky News, he said: "The industry feels that we have to find a way of providing a source of cheap, reliable credit for our people.

"The three million in retail and the nearly five million in the wider industry do have a need for low-cost, value-for-money, short-term borrowing facilities, and that's what we as an industry are trying to provide."

Booker and Matalan have also agreed to support RetailCure, while John Lewis Partnership and Wm Morrison have been approached and are expected to provide financial assistance.

The launch of RetailCure comes amid a still-intense political debate about the business model employed by payday lenders, which charge interest rates that work out at more than 5,000% on an annual basis.

The high street chains' credit union will charge interest on a sliding scale from roughly 7% to nearly 28% depending upon the borrower's credit history.

Mr Lovering expects the average loan request to be lower than £5,000, and believes that RetailCure could ultimately become Britain's biggest credit union.

"We think we can build a loan-book of £50m and attract 50,000 members relatively quickly," he said.

Assuming it receives regulatory approval, savers who deposit funds with RetailCure will be protected by the same Government guarantee as that which covers high street banks.

Earlier this week, the Church of England unveiled a pilot scheme through which a new credit union network will be piloted in three of its dioceses.

That project is being led by Sir Hector Sants, the former boss of the City watchdog, which since April has had oversight of consumer credit providers such as payday lenders.

Last year, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Justin Welby, said he had told the then boss of Wonga that he wanted to "compete (the company) out of existence".

The remarks sparked acute embarrassment for the Archbishop, however, when it emerged that the Church of England's pension fund was among the investors in one of Wonga's financial backers.

In its annual report this week, the Church Commissioners said they had yet to dispose of the holding because doing so would crystallise a significant loss for its pension fund.

Some industry stakeholders were sceptical about the prospects for RetailCure.

Russell Hamblin-Boone, chief executive of the Consumer Finance Association, which represents short-term lenders, said greater choice was welcome but warned that it faced significant uncertainties.

"What this body will have to do is make sure it complies with very stringent regulations that are applied to financial services.

"I would ask questions around what is going to be the collection policy, what happens if somebody leaves the retailers business still owing a debt, how are you going to collect that?"

RetailCure hopes to launch formally in November.

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Lord Rennard Is Told To 'Leave Public Life'

Pressure is piling on Nick Clegg to expel Lord Rennard from the Liberal Democrat party after he finally apologised to four women who accused him of sexual harassment.

The ex-chief executive of the party had previously refused to say sorry having maintained his innocence ever since allegations were made that he had behaved "inappropriately".

Now it has emerged he has issued an apology in a letter sent to Liberal Democrat HQ.

Bridget Harris, a former adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister, is one of the women who made the allegations.

She resigned from the Lib Dems over the party's failure to act.

She told Sky News: "If one errant Lib Dem peer has actually himself walked away from the House of Lords as a result of running a few opinion polls, I think that Chris Rennard should be expected to also leave the House of Lords - basically leave public life.

Bridget Harris (L) and Alison Smith

"I would like to know who does he speak for now in the House of Lords?

"Who does he speak for as a Lib Dem?"

His letter of apology said: "Lord Rennard wishes to achieve closure of the contentious issues that have been in the public domain for the last fourteen months by expressing his apologies to Susan Gaszczak, Alison Goldsworthy, Bridget Harris and Alison Smith.

"Lord Rennard personally accepts the full report of Alistair Webster QC as given to him on March 7th in its entirety.

"He would therefore like to apologise sincerely for any such intrusion and assure them that this would have been inadvertent.

"He hereby expresses his regret for any harm or embarrassment caused to them or anything which made them feel uncomfortable.

"Lord Rennard wishes to make it absolutely clear that it was never his intention to cause distress or concern to them by anything that he ever said or did."

Police investigated claims that Lord Rennard sexually harassed female party activists last year, but decided not to press charges.

But an internal inquiry carried out by Alistair Webster QC found there was broadly credible evidence of "behaviour which violated the personal space and autonomy of the complainants".

Lord Rennard was suspended from the party, but remains a Lord, as a result of the allegations against him.

He is now expected to make a bid to have the Lib Dem whip restored after complying with the recommendations of the inquiry.

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Thousands Pay Respect To Inspirational Stephen

By Rhiannon Mills, News Correspondent

Thousands of people have queued outside Lichfield Cathedral to pay their repects to cancer fundraiser Stephen Sutton ahead of his funeral.

A two day vigil began on Thursday and will continue until this afternoon with many more expected to sign the book of condolence.

His family will hold a private funeral later where they will say their final goodbyes, but at 11am his mother Jane has asked people to join in a "Thumbs Up For Stephen" event, and "do something to make others happy".

Millions of people across the world have been inspired by Stephen's courage facing terminal cancer.

A 'Thumbs Up For Stephen' event has been planned

And as his hearse arrived on Thursday evening, drawn by four white horses, there was spontaneous applause from the crowd. A bright yellow wreath bearing the icon of a smiley face lay beside the white coffin.

Leading the vigil the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, told the gathered mourners Stephen "in his all too brief life" had taught "how to make the unacceptable, beautiful".

"He chose to share his exuberance with us, not his pain. He was one of those very rare people who've helped us live our lives with generosity."

Julia Hayburn, assistant headteacher at Stephen's former school, Chase Terrace Technology College, said: "Words like awesome, awe-inspiring and inspirational became synonymous with Stephen.

"But they only touched the surface of what he has become on a national and international scale."

There was spontaneous applause as the hearse carrying Stephen arrived

The teenager, from Burntwood in Staffordshire, had originally launched his fundraising appeal hoping to raise £10,000 for the Teenage Cancer Trust, but just hours before the vigil began the total had reached more than £4 million.

He died on May 14 after succumbing to multiple tumours.

The Teenage Cancer Trust's chief executive Siobhan Dunn said earlier today Stephen's memory would "never be forgotten" because it would live on through the work of the charity.

She added: "I think it's really important there's a public celebration of Stephen's life and I think that's exactly what he would have wanted.

"He was looking for us to put the fun into his funeral so hopefully we're going to do that."

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