The fact is what petermac showed is the shutters do not have a locking mechanism.. And with a bit of wriggling can be FORCED up... Without causing any damage.. Perhaps Webster just wasn't strong enough..
Sil will confirm that this has also been established by a member of this forum... Heriberto
Heri showed the proper way to do it (possibly using the burglars' tried and technique} if memory serves me well it is done as follows
- start raising the outer shutter keeping it even
- when it has been raised a few inches try to slide the window to an open position
- if the window is locked it won't shift so move on to the next target; if it is unlocked it will easily slide aside
- reach inside to the shutter mechanism (in the case of apartment 5 ... a tape)
- start pulling
- and the mechanism will raise the shutter
I believe many holidaymakers might have been under the misapprehension that the shutters were a security measure. At this time in 2007 this was not the case in apartments such as 5A, which the McCanns had rented.
On running to the apartment after Kate raised the alarm ... one of the first things Gerry did was to lower the shutter, run outside, I think to 'prove' it could not be raised to allow access from outside. Only to find it was possible. He didn't know the proper technique for doing so and got it stuck at an angle which I believe was noted by the police when they arrived on site.