Why Were We Lied to By the BBC ?

[faithlilly]

Louth man Martin Smith has confirmed he remains 60-80% sure he saw Gerry McCann carrying a child on the night Madeleine disappeared. Police are keen to talk to the man he saw, who has yet to come forward and identify himself. My report is in @VillageMagIRE today #McCann

https://twitter.com/gemmaod1/status/959745836145135616

It would appear that Miss O'Doherty approached the BBC and asked why they misled the public over the Smith sighting. The BBC admitted their mistake and have issued a retraction within the iPlayer edition of their 10th Anniversary programme.

[G-Unit]

There was never any evidence that he retracted his statement, but good for her for dispelling that 'McCann supporter myth'. 

[pathfinder73]

[Wonderfulspam]

The Sunday Times article on those hidden E-Fits also claimed that Mr Smith had since retracted his claim.

From the article....

"Smith has since stressed that he does not believe the man he saw was Gerry, and Scotland Yard do not consider this a possibility"

Lying b........s.

[jassi]

I think this demonstrates a problem with media. They can get away with anything unless they face a legal challenge.

[jassi]

Will anyone launch a legal challenge to what Miss O'Doherty has written  ?

[slartibartfast]

Will anyone launch a legal challenge to what Miss O'Doherty has written  ?

Not sure on what grounds, if she is reporting M.Smith’s Opinion as a witness then not really.

[Wonderfulspam]

Neither Scotland Yard or the PJ believe there is any possibility of this sighting being Gerry, at all, period.

That is all that matters.

'Neither persons of interest or suspects.'

I just thought I'd say this to save the supporters the time & effort.

Now, about that Tanner sighting..SY haven't ruled it out completely..he could still have been the abductor....

[Eleanor]

Anyone interested in what the relatives and children of Mr. Smith had to say?

[slartibartfast]

Anyone interested in what the relatives and children of Mr. Smith had to say?

Why what did they say?

[Wonderfulspam]

His wife agreed & the rest of the family didn't apparently.

But it doesn't matter anyway because Not Suspects.

[G-Unit]

For the argument to come;

It's a fact that Martin Smith said he was 60-80% sure that the man he saw was Gerry McCann.
It's a fact that the media reported that he later retracted that statement.
It now seems that the media were wrong. Mr Smith didn't retract his statement.

Mr Smith's claim was his opinion. Anyone who disagrees with him is also expressing an opinion.

[faithlilly]

Evidence provided at the time by members of the Smith family, from Maple Drive, Drogheda, Co Louth, was considered credible by the review officers.

Martin Smith and his wife Mary revealed to investigators how they saw a man carrying a young child through the streets of Praia da Luz in Portugal on the night Madeleine went missing.

She disappeared on May 3, 2007, from her family's apartment on the Algarve.

The Smith family told police how they had left Kelly's Bar in the resort at around 10pm

They then passed a man walking down the middle of the street who was carrying a girl aged about three to four years old

It was claimed that the child's head was lying against the man's left shoulder and her arms were hanging down alongside her body.

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/irish-couple-may-hold-key-evidence-in-madeleine-mccann-case-29397648.html

[Eleanor]

For the argument to come;

It's a fact that Martin Smith said he was 60-80% sure that the man he saw was Gerry McCann.
It's a fact that the media reported that he later retracted that statement.
It now seems that the media were wrong. Mr Smith didn't retract his statement.

Mr Smith's claim was his opinion. Anyone who disagrees with him is also expressing an opinion.

Excellent.

[pathfinder73]