Strange Witness Statements

[G-Unit]

Exactly.  Rachael remembers Jane taking several photos of Madeleine and Ella and that Kate ran back for her camera and also took photos.     Rachael thinks it could be Jane who took the photo of Madeleine - Kate knows it was herself - presumably because it was on her camera.

Are we supposed to be reading something sinister into this?  If so what is it?

Talk about mega nitpicking.

You think so? Rachael thought it happened on Thursday morning, the one day she should have remembered what happened. Jane, Kate and Russell say Thursday was the other group when the guy was videoing. Matt and Rachael had a tennis lesson every day from 11-12 noon. Rachael usually arrived early for this, but she never mentioned the video incident just before her lesson on Thursday.  Jane thought Rachael was in the daily classes at 9-9.15am with Kate and herself but she wasn't. Dianne says she was in that class, but no-one mentioned her at all.

It's not 'sinister' at all, just an example of what terrible memories some of them had.

[pathfinder73]

Picky,    to me it's innocent enough,   Jane took a picture of Madeleine with tennis balls,   Kate ran back for her camera and took a picture of Madeleine with tennis balls,   so what?

Rachel said Jane's photo is known to the world not that Kate ran to get her camera.

[Lace]

Rachel said Jane's photo is known to the world not that Kate ran to get her camera.

So?    Rachel got it wrong,   Jane may have taken a similar photograph but it was Kate's they used.   

[G-Unit]

So?    Rachel got it wrong,   Jane may have taken a similar photograph but it was Kate's they used.   

Rachael got it wrong by two days.

[Benice]

You think so? Rachael thought it happened on Thursday morning, the one day she should have remembered what happened. Jane, Kate and Russell say Thursday was the other group when the guy was videoing. Matt and Rachael had a tennis lesson every day from 11-12 noon. Rachael usually arrived early for this, but she never mentioned the video incident just before her lesson on Thursday.  Jane thought Rachael was in the daily classes at 9-9.15am with Kate and herself but she wasn't. Dianne says she was in that class, but no-one mentioned her at all.

It's not 'sinister' at all, just an example of what terrible memories some of them had.

Nothing to do with 'terrible memories' IMO -  although I agree that different people do have differing levels of the power of recall and different perceptions of time and distance.

Why would anyone expect them to remember precisely how every minute of every day of that week had been spent - and not only to remember what they did and said -  but what 8 other people did and said too   - when they had absolutely no way of knowing what was going to happen - and so had no reason to make a concerted effort to carefully commit stuff (which was unremarkable at the time) to their memories for future reference.     

Can anyone  precisely recall every tiny detail of how they spent every minute of the last 5 days, including the exact time they did each and every different little thing -  as they went through the days, -  and remember exactly who said what to whom and when? 

Taking photos was just one tiny thing amongst all the other things they did that day.  The fact that they didn't all have identical memories of what happened re that -  or anything else for that matter -  is perfectly normal.    Ask any policeman.

[Alfred R Jones]

Is having a "terrible memory" strange?  If not why does it merit discussion on the "strange witness statements" thread?  Are some people attempting to make mountains out of molehills?   &%+((£

[Brietta]

Nothing to do with 'terrible memories' IMO -  although I agree that different people do have differing levels of the power of recall and different perceptions of time and distance.

Why would anyone expect them to remember precisely how every minute of every day of that week had been spent - and not only to remember what they did and said -  but what 8 other people did and said too   - when they had absolutely no way of knowing what was going to happen - and so had no reason to make a concerted effort to carefully commit stuff (which was unremarkable at the time) to their memories for future reference.     

Can anyone  precisely recall every tiny detail of how they spent every minute of the last 5 days, including the exact time they did each and every different little thing -  as they went through the days, -  and remember exactly who said what to whom and when? 

Taking photos was just one tiny thing amongst all the other things they did that day.  The fact that they didn't all have identical memories of what happened re that -  or anything else for that matter -  is perfectly normal.    Ask any policeman.

Excellent points, Benice.

It was only in retrospect that the normal every day actions of the group may have had any significance.  Although I really fail to grasp the sinister implication of people taking holiday photos of the same subject.

An event which would have been entirely unremarked if Madeleine had not vanished.

[G-Unit]

Nothing to do with 'terrible memories' IMO -  although I agree that different people do have differing levels of the power of recall and different perceptions of time and distance.

Why would anyone expect them to remember precisely how every minute of every day of that week had been spent - and not only to remember what they did and said -  but what 8 other people did and said too   - when they had absolutely no way of knowing what was going to happen - and so had no reason to make a concerted effort to carefully commit stuff (which was unremarkable at the time) to their memories for future reference.     

Can anyone  precisely recall every tiny detail of how they spent every minute of the last 5 days, including the exact time they did each and every different little thing -  as they went through the days, -  and remember exactly who said what to whom and when? 

Taking photos was just one tiny thing amongst all the other things they did that day.  The fact that they didn't all have identical memories of what happened re that -  or anything else for that matter -  is perfectly normal.    Ask any policeman.

If I played tennis every day with a group of 5 others I would remember who they were and who they weren't. Jane Tanner didn't. I wonder why the police took them so carefully through the whole week when the only important day was Thursday? The day Rachael couldn't remember what happened in the morning. Gerald couldn't remember that Russell's child was ill that evening or whether he locked the apartment or not or which door he used. Never mind, Op Grange accepted that they remembered the timeline OK.

[Alfred R Jones]

If I played tennis every day with a group of 5 others I would remember who they were and who they weren't. Jane Tanner didn't. I wonder why the police took them so carefully through the whole week when the only important day was Thursday? The day Rachael couldn't remember what happened in the morning. Gerald couldn't remember that Russell's child was ill that evening or whether he locked the apartment or not or which door he used. Never mind, Op Grange accepted that they remembered the timeline OK.

Never mind indeed.  If you can give us any plausible or even i plausible reason why any of this might be relevant to Madelene's disappearance do feel free to share.

[G-Unit]

Never mind indeed.  If you can give us any plausible or even i plausible reason why any of this might be relevant to Madelene's disappearance do feel free to share.

Both the PJ and SY seem to have accepted the group's statements about the checking timeline. Given their memories I'd double-check if they told me what day it was.

[mercury]

Never mind indeed.  If you can give us any plausible or even i plausible reason why any of this might be relevant to Madelene's disappearance do feel free to share.

Most of them proved to be unreliable witnesses on a matter of subjects. More a hindrance to the investigation than a help.

[slartibartfast]

Most of them proved to be unreliable witnesses on a matter of subjects. More a hindrance to the investigation than a help.

Beat me to it.

[Mr Gray]

Both the PJ and SY seem to have accepted the group's statements about the checking timeline. Given their memories I'd double-check if they told me what day it was.

what experience do you have in collating witness statements....none

[Alfred R Jones]

Both the PJ and SY seem to have accepted the group's statements about the checking timeline. Given their memories I'd double-check if they told me what day it was.

that makes you superior to the PJ and SY does it?

[mercury]

that makes you superior to the PJ and SY does it?

Why the superfluous epithet?

Its a FACT that at least  half the tapas group didnt know what day it was or even what hour at any given time in their interviews both in portugal AND the UK!

Pointless witnesses for the most part.