Timeline May 3rd

[Brietta]

Read the staff witness testimony. None of them with any certainty place GM at the Tapas Bar at exactly the same time as the Smith sighting.

Read the files again.
You will note not only is there no corroboration of the exact time the Smiths left Kelly's bar nor is there corroboration they were ever there on the night  or at the time Aoife specified.
The duty staff did not recall them.

There is no doubt as to the presence of the McCanns and their friends in the tapas restaurant; independent testimony verifies their account of individuals regularly coming and going (to check on their children);  Gerry's account of meeting and stopping to have a conversation with Jes Wilkins and the approximate time it took place is verified; and the appx time when Kate raised the alarm that Madeleine had disappeared is independently verified and the fact is that Gerry was in the tapas when Kate ran in.

If he hadn't been ... that absence would have been noted by everyone present.

[Billy Whizz Fan Club]

Exactly what time was the Smith sighting, to the minute please, with proof, ta.

Good point... this is why the PJ wanted a real time reconstruction with the Smiths and the T9.

The fact that we can't say precisely what time the sighting was adds weight to the argument that we can't rule out GM because we can't know for sure that he was at the Tapas Bar. We only know this if we can prove or test the timeline(s).

[Billy Whizz Fan Club]

Read the files again.
You will note not only is there no corroboration of the exact time the Smiths left Kelly's bar nor is there corroboration they were ever there on the night  or at the time Aoife specified.
The duty staff did not recall them.

There is no doubt as to the presence of the McCanns and their friends in the tapas restaurant; independent testimony verifies their account of individuals regularly coming and going (to check on their children);  Gerry's account of meeting and stopping to have a conversation with Jes Wilkins and the approximate time it took place is verified; and the appx time when Kate raised the alarm that Madeleine had disappeared is independently verified and the fact is that Gerry was in the tapas when Kate ran in.

If he hadn't been ... that absence would have been noted by everyone present.

I also believe GM was back at the Tapas Bar when KM raised the alarm.

How do you verify an approximation???!!

[Brietta]

The poster ISpyWithMyBigEye probably, imo, hits the nail on the head yesterday when he stated:

We know where that claim first came from. It was imo an attempt by Clarence Mitchell to explain the problems with the T9 timeline. It was reported  (before he back tracked a little a month later): "Mitchell said he was not surprised by the inconsistencies in the initial accounts. 'You had nine people in a bar without watches on, without mobile phones, and absolute panic set in when they realised what had happened.'"

 I personally tend to agree with ISpy - the official CM endorsed narrative in this case is imo "nonsense made up by conspirators"

Nobody was sitting there with a stop watch timing every second of the evening.  Nobody could foresee what was going to happen, such a possibility was the farthest thing from their minds.
When and after Kate raised the alarm they were running around like headless chickens checking on their own children and searching for Madeleine.  Imagine the panic and the chaos there was ... nobody was looking at watches!

[Anthro]

I still think this post by Heri in 2018, is valid:

‘It is very simply, and I had told this to OG many years ago.

In my opinion, she [Jane] did not leave the table at 21:15. He [ROB] saw their daugthers at 21:05, and then he went at 21:30, discovering that one of them had vomited. She went at 21:45-21:50.

After the abduction, not knowing Portuguese laws, they were worried about that half an hour, with their daughters alone, and one of them vomiting, and the police questioning.

So he decided to make timelines clearly showing he was at 21:00, she was at 21:15, he was at 21:30, she was at 21:45. And show them to the rest of the group, implanting false memories.

She did not see Gerry and Jez at 21:15, she heard Gerry saying "I met Jez".

All in my opinion.‘

[Brietta]

I still think this post by Heri in 2018, is valid:

‘It is very simply, and I had told this to OG many years ago.

In my opinion, she [Jane] did not leave the table at 21:15. He [ROB] saw their daugthers at 21:05, and then he went at 21:30, discovering that one of them had vomited. She went at 21:45-21:50.

After the abduction, not knowing Portuguese laws, they were worried about that half an hour, with their daughters alone, and one of them vomiting, and the police questioning.

So he decided to make timelines clearly showing he was at 21:00, she was at 21:15, he was at 21:30, she was at 21:45. And show them to the rest of the group, implanting false memories.

She did not see Gerry and Jez at 21:15, she heard Gerry saying "I met Jez".

All in my opinion.‘

I have the greatest respect for Heri and seldom disagree with Him, but on this occasion I do.

[G-Unit]

Nobody was sitting there with a stop watch timing every second of the evening.  Nobody could foresee what was going to happen, such a possibility was the farthest thing from their minds.
When and after Kate raised the alarm they were running around like headless chickens checking on their own children and searching for Madeleine.  Imagine the panic and the chaos there was ... nobody was looking at watches!

I don't suppose anyone expected the group to check or remember what time things happened. It was their idea to create a timeline which they later refused to recreate.

[Brietta]

I don't suppose anyone expected the group to check or remember what time things happened. It was their idea to create a timeline which they later refused to recreate.

They were available to physically recreate a timeline of events as were some others ~ the Wilkins ~ the Totmans for example; the person responsible for refusing that opportunity was Goncalo Amaral.

[Billy Whizz Fan Club]

Nobody was sitting there with a stop watch timing every second of the evening.  Nobody could foresee what was going to happen, such a possibility was the farthest thing from their minds.
When and after Kate raised the alarm they were running around like headless chickens checking on their own children and searching for Madeleine.  Imagine the panic and the chaos there was ... nobody was looking at watches!

Exactly my point. No-one yet has ruled out that Smithman was GM, least not by reliance on any of the muddled timelines, imo.

[Billy Whizz Fan Club]

I don't suppose anyone expected the group to check or remember what time things happened. It was their idea to create a timeline which they later refused to recreate.

I do agree with Anthro that a likely explanation is indeed worry about neglect accusations rather than involvement in MM's death or abduction. I also believe the evidence points towards her death in the apartment.

[Billy Whizz Fan Club]

They were available to physically recreate a timeline of events as were some others ~ the Wilkins ~ the Totmans for example; the person responsible for refusing that opportunity was Goncalo Amaral.

That's wide of the mark imo. How do you reach the conclusion that Amaral refused the opportunity to recreate a timeline?

[Mr Gray]

That's wide of the mark imo. How do you reach the conclusion that Amaral refused the opportunity to recreate a timeline?

As I understand  a reconstruction was suggested early on...it seems amaral refused. Im sure there are posters who can confirm with a cite

[barrier]

As I understand  a reconstruction was suggested early on...it seems amaral refused. Im sure there are posters who can confirm with a cite

Who suggested the reconstruction?

[Brietta]

That's wide of the mark imo. How do you reach the conclusion that Amaral refused the opportunity to recreate a timeline?

Misty posted a link to a translation of his latest interview.  I suggest you read it if you haven't already and see his blustering admission and his deflection for yourself.

[Lace]

You can roughly trace a timeline by when they ate.   The Payne's didn't arrive at the Tapas Bar until 9 -  - That night she judges to have arrived at the restaurant close to 21:00, in the company of the PAYNE couple.

They would then have ordered their starters.  How long would you think before the waiter had taken everyone's order for starters?   Then the wait for the starters to arrive?   Gerry went to check on the children after ordering his starter.   Then he arrived back ate his starter then they ordered the main course.  Again the waiter would have had to take everyone's order and again the wait for it to arrive,  I would imagine it would be about 10 by the time Kate went for her check.