Strange Witness Statements

[Carana]

Nine eye witnesses including children and chief suspect. He's never come forward so he is the starting point. It's no surprise SY searches happened close to that sighting. Amaral was about to properly investigate the sighting and bring the Smiths back but was removed. His officers missed the CCTV camera.

What do you mean he was about to investigate them? Amaral had already got them back in May 2007...

[pegasus]

What do you mean he was about to investigate them? Amaral had already got them back in May 2007...

M.Smith provided more information in Sept 2007 and therefore Mr Amaral was arranging for those witnesses to visit Portugal again in early Oct 2007 to make further statements. His plans to do that (and IMO his ability to follow up on the DCCB report) were scuppered by his removal on Oct 2nd. The removal of an SIO at this crucial stage, just for correctly criticising foreign influence on his investigation, is unacceptable IMO.

[Carana]

M.Smith provided more information in Sept 2007 and therefore Mr Amaral was arranging for those witnesses to visit Portugal again in early Oct 2007 to make further statements. His plans to do that (and IMO his ability to follow up on the DCCB report) were scuppered by his removal on Oct 2nd. The removal of an SIO at this crucial stage, just for correctly criticising foreign influence on his investigation, is unacceptable IMO.

I haven't found any correspondence concerning this planned new visit in the files. I'm not sure what purpose it would have served... How many of them was he planning on bringing over?

[pegasus]

I haven't found any correspondence concerning this planned new visit in the files. I'm not sure what purpose it would have served... How many of them was he planning on bringing over?

The published files contain only a fraction of all the documents, and not the flight and hotel bookings, which probably IMO would have been made the days following Oct 2nd.
The documents about M Smith providing more information to Gardai and LP in Sept 2007 are in the published files
Therefore there is no reason to doubt what Mr Amaral says, that he was arranging for some of these witnesses to fly to Portugal again early Oct 2007. Wouldn't you have done the same?

[sadie]

It is logical guesswork. Suspect heading towards church / sea so church side rocks at 10:05. Elementary.

It is simply guesswork Pfinder, cos after Smithman was seen he could ahve turned down at least 10 turn offs , ento a house, or any building ..... or even have been picked up by a car.

[Carana]

The published files contain only a fraction of all the documents, and not the flight and hotel bookings, which probably IMO would have been made the days following Oct 2nd.
The documents about M Smith providing more information to Gardai and LP in Sept 2007 are in the published files
Therefore there is no reason to doubt what Mr Amaral says, that he was arranging for some of these witnesses to fly to Portugal again early Oct 2007. Wouldn't you have done the same?

I can't see what for. Martin, Peter and Aoife were back over in May 07 to show the police where they'd seen the man and made statements. THAT seems to have been a good idea.

But who was he intending to bring over in Sept / Oct... and what for? Did they really need to go all the way over to sign yet more statements? For Martin to state that he had a 60-80% sudden doubt that it might have been Gerry based only on the way he carried Sean down plane steps? For his wife to say the same (if indeed she had the same level of doubt)? For the two older children to state that they disagreed?

Would the prosecutor have agreed to such expense for two people who weren't sure, but had a doubt x months later, potentially influenced by the news, and two others who didn't agree?

That seems as useful as his other project of crucial importance: finding a fridge, with hopefully a speck of unidentifiable blood in it somewhere.

[pathfinder73]

I hereby declare that this statement is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and that I make it knowing that if it is tendered in evidence I will be liable to prosecution if i state in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true.

I would like to state that the statement I made on 26th May 2007 in Portugal is correct. The description of the individual that I saw on 3rd May 2007 carrying a child is as follows. He was average build, 5 foot 10' in height, brown hair cut short, aged 40 years approximately. Wearing beige trousers and darkish top maybe a jacket or blazer. He had a full head of hair with a tight cut. This individual was alone. I saw Gerard McCann (sic) going down the plane stairs carrying one of his children on 9th September 2007 BBC news at 10 PM, I have been shown the video clip by Sergeant Hogan which I recognise. A clip I have seen before on the Internet. In relation to the video clips of Gerard McCann and the person I saw on 3rd May 2007 when I saw the BBC news at 10 PM on 9th September 2007 something struck me that it could have been the same person. It was the way Gerard McCann turned his head down which was similar to what the individual did on 3rd May 2007 when we met him. It may have been the way he was carrying the child either. I would be 60-80% sure that it was Gerard McCann that I met that night carrying a child. I am basing that on his mannerism in the way he carried the child off the plane. After seeing the BBC news at 10 PM, footage on the 9th September 2007 I contacted Leicestershire police with this information. During that time I spoke to all my family members who were with me on the night of 3rd May 2007 about this and the only one who felt the same way as me was my wife. She had seen the video clip of Gerard McCann walking down the stairs of the plane earlier that day. We did not discuss this until some days later. This statement has been read over to me and is correct. (MS)

When we receive this information, at the end of September, we think we finally have the piece that will allow us to complete the puzzle. Because of this, we may be able to reconstruct the course of events on that cold night of May 3rd in Vila da Luz. We have a better understanding of why Jane Tanner, "sent," the alleged abductor in the opposite direction to that taken by the man seen by the Smith family. Suspicion had to be diverted from Gerald who - if he was the guilty party - would have taken this route: leaving apartment 5A, the individual who was carrying the child, did not go east, towards Murat's house, but west in the direction of the beach.

We decide to get the Smiths back to the Algarve, for a formal identification of Gerry McCann - by means of televised images, certainly - direct confrontation being impossible - and possibly proceed to a reconstruction of the events of the night of May 3rd. The National Director of the Judiciary police agrees, the process is set in motion, all the details are sorted out; all that remains is to choose the hotel where they will be put up. But the Smiths were never to come back to Portugal. After my departure, the PJ were to change their minds. They asked the Irish police to proceed with interviewing the witness. That decision was to seriously delay the process since the Smiths were not interviewed until several months later. Meanwhile, rumours were to circulate and people not involved with the investigation would be made aware of the existence of this witness; someone allegedly even sought out contact with the family, without its being known to what end. (TOTL)

[pegasus]

So "formal" identification" was one of the objects.

[Brietta]

So "formal" identification" was one of the objects.

How exactly do you think ... "by means of televised images, certainly - direct confrontation being impossible" ... would have worked out?
I believe Gerry McCann's image might have appeared once or twice in the paper media and television ... and of course there is the question of Mr McCluskey.

[Carana]

So "formal" identification" was one of the objects.

Formal identificiation, based on what?

[mercury]

Formal identificiation, based on what?

Based on recollection I would have thought, just like every ID parade carried out worldwide, sometimes witnesses are sure, sometimes they are not. But they carry them out regardless.

[pegasus]

Letters from Irish or British police have IMO no legal standing in Portugal. To put the identification in a form acceptable legally in Portugal, the PJ had to either get the witnesses to come to Portugal voluntarily, or do rogatory letters which takes months.
IMO the man the Irish family saw was definitely not GM, and the child they saw is most unlikely to be the missing child. But Mr Amaral should have been allowed to investigate the identification properly, not forced out of his SIO role by foreign meddling.

[pathfinder73]

Department of Criminal Investigation at PORTIMAO.

CONFIDENTIAL/URGENT.

To : Detective Chief Superintendent Robert Hall
Fax: 00441XXXXXXXXX
From: Goncalo Amaral - C.I.C. no D.I.C. de PortimAo
C/C : Fax:
Data: 07-05-2007 . No pages : 03
Ref : N / ref : Inq. 201107.0 GALGS
Subject : Request for Collaboration

In furtherance of your operation TASK and International Police Cooperation please see the following points:

1. Could you consider making enquiries to question JEREMY MICHAEL WILKINS (UK Passport No 205XXXXXX, DOB 24.02.1974) ?
Wilkins was staying at the Ocean Club resort at the time of Madeleine?s disappearance and may have vital information. Wilkins lives at the following address, 23 MXXXXX RXXX, London, NWlX XXX. Wilkins is contactable on the following telephone numbers 00447XXXXXXXXX and 00442XXXXXXXXX.

We would like the following points covered if possible;

- Did Wilkins travel with anyone else?
- If he has children and what age are they?
- If he knows the group of people which MADELEINE MCCANN was part of and the apartment block where the guests were staying ?
- If he knows MADELEINE'S parents and in particular her father GERALD MCCANN ?
- When did he met GERALD MCCANN and in what circumstances ?
- Did he play tennis with GERALD McCANN ?
- Did he meet with him apart from playing tennis ?
- Did he come to know the routine of GERALD McCANN and his family (his wife and children ?
- If he did, when GERALD was having dinner with his wife and friends where were the children and how were they looked after ?
When was the last time he was with GERALD McCANN, when not playing tennis, before the disappearance of MADELEINE ?
- On the day of the disappearance, was JEREMY out with his children in the evening ?
- Did he meet GERALD and at what time ?
- Where was GERALD coming from at this time ?
- Exactly where was this meeting with GERALD ? (please obtain confirmation of the exact location on the attached map)
- What was the distance of this meeting from GERALD?S apartment ?
- Can Jeremy provide a sketch map of the location ?
- What did they talk about at this time and for how long ?
- When he was talking with GERALD, did any of Gerald's group pass by ?
- If so, who ?
- When he was talking with GERALD did he see whether anyone passed by carrying a child in the road near the apartment block ?

2. In the spirit of Police to Police Cooperation we request the presence of a British Criminal Analyst who may be able to assist the enquiry.
Also the collaboration of the UK's "Child Exploitation Online Protection" may be useful if they wish to send one of their officers to provide assistance to the investigation,

3. We would like further information (by telephonic analysis if thought necessary) relevant to the investigation about the following subjects :
- GERALD McCANN and KATE HEALY contactable on telephone numbers 00447XXXXXXXXX,00441XXXXXXXXX and 00447XXXXXXXXX.
- MATTHEW DAVID OLDFIELD and RACHAEL MAMPILLY, contactable on telephone numbers 00442XXXXXXXXX, 00447XXXXXXXXX and 00447XXXXXXXXX.
- RUSSEL JAMES O'BRIEN and JANE MICHELLE TANNER, contactable on telephone numbers 00447XXXXXXXXX and 00447XXXXXXXXX.
- DAVID ANTHONY PAYNE, contactable on telephone number 00441XXXXXXXXX, FIONA ELAINE PAYNE, contactable on telephone number 00441XXXXXXXXX and DIANNE WEBSTER, contactable on telephone number
00441XXXXXXXXX.

Namely if there is any indication of motive for anyone in the UK to kidnap the daughter of GERALD McCann ?

Regards

Coordinator of Criminal Investigation :

Goncalo Amaral.

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/JEREMY-WILKINS.htm

[pathfinder73]

The quiz girl at the tapas bar on Tuesday Gerry was flirting with and then Kate made a series of phone calls at the apartment before PF reported Madeleine crying started for 75 minutes. That same quiz girl I've been told was doing the quiz at Chaplins that same night at 10pm. Maybe a line to investigate.

Quiz Night

Would a quiz night attract you? And if so, what night might quiz night be? Why, quiz night is Tuesday night!

Chaplins inform us:

“FUN” QUIZ NIGHT
every Tuesday, start 10 pm

Chaplins is situated next to the church.

[jassi]

Did the Tapas bar hold a quiz night of its own, or was Chaplins the only quiz in town?