Sunday Times claim that Smith e-fits had been suppressed for 5 years.

[John]

We know that Mr Smith reported the encounter albeit several days after the event and even then he never claimed it was Gerry.  It was only months later when he saw Gerry walking down the aircraft steps that he thought the way he was carrying Sean reminded him of the encounter in Praia da Luz all those months earlier.  Seems he was right the first time.

[pathfinder73]

No Smithman put his head down and averted his eyes. That is in the statements. He was rude, didn't speak to reveal his accent or want his face to be seen 

[AnneGuedes]

We know that Mr Smith reported the encounter albeit several days after the event and even then he never claimed it was Gerry.

The three Smith witnesses said they wouldn't recognize the man's face ! Who would have ?
Mr Smith said it in May, the carrier wasn't comfortable in holding the little girl. Being weird, it remained in his memory.  Ask a first helper if it's easy to carry a body..

[Estuarine]

The quote below is taken from the original Sunday Times article. Note also that there was no mention of withdrawing this quote when the ST printed it's clarification regarding the specific dates of the Efit suppression:

"The McCann fund source said the Oakley report was passed on to new private investigators after the contract ended, but that the firm’s work was considered “contaminated” by the financial dispute.
He said the fund wanted to continue to pursue information about the man seen by Tanner, and it would have been too expensive to investigate both sightings in full — so the Smith E-Fits were not publicised. It was also considered necessary to threaten legal action against the authors."

I love it! especially the bit about too expensive. By extension that means they were only willing to spend so much in an attempt to find the little girl. Very frugal with money donated by the public for the very purpose. But there will be an innocent explanation.

[Sherlock Holmes]

A good point Benice.   As I pointed out previously, SY would not be pursuing identification of the individual to whom the e-fits relate if they thought for a minute that it was G McC.

It doesn't take much to realise, the ST article aside, that Mr Smith must have relented and changed his earlier view that Smithman resembled G McC.  After all, the rest of the Smith group never shared his view.

The McCanns obviously want to diminish Smithman's importance for another reason.

[Serendipity]

I love it! especially the bit about too expensive. By extension that means they were only willing to spend so much in an attempt to find the little girl. Very frugal with money donated by the public for the very purpose. But there will be an innocent explanation.

Rather makes a mockery of the oft used phrase 'no stone unturned'

[AnneGuedes]

Rather makes a mockery of the oft used phrase 'no stone unturned'

Mrs Janet Kennedy, a lucid lady, said the motto had changed, end of 2007, into "we'll never ever lose hope".

[peter claridge]

A good point Benice.   As I pointed out previously, SY would not be pursuing identification of the individual to whom the e-fits relate if they thought for a minute that it was G McC.

It doesn't take much to realise, the ST article aside, that Mr Smith must have relented and changed his earlier view that Smithman resembled G McC.  After all, the rest of the Smith group never shared his view.

Scotland Yard have known the identity of Smithman for some time!

[pegasus]

To illustrate how ridiculously inaccurate it can be to identify someone by how they hold a child.
Here are parts of a statement by an english witness 12 Sept 2007. (apen 5-1 131)
"I've agonised for days over whether or not to contact the police about this ------- walking off the aeroplane holding one of his young children. The way he was holding the child over his left shoulder reminded me of the man carrying the child ------- it was the particular way he held the child ------- this made me think back to the night in Portugal and it just looked like the same person."
P.S it was proven that this identification was completely mistaken.

[AnneGuedes]

To illustrate how ridiculously inaccurate it can be to identify someone by how they hold a child.
Here are parts of a statement by an english witness 12 Sept 2007. (apen 5-1 131)
"I've agonised for days over whether or not to contact the police about this ------- walking off the aeroplane holding one of his young children. The way he was holding the child over his left shoulder reminded me of the man carrying the child ------- it was the particular way he held the child ------- this made me think back to the night in Portugal and it just looked like the same person."
P.S it was proven that this identification was completely mistaken.

Isn't it ridiculous, Pegasus, to use this argument concerning Mr Smith's observation, as if he had said that he recognized the man by how he hold the child ?
He didn't say that at all, read his statements !

[icabodcrane]

The McCanns obviously want to diminish Smithman's importance for another reason.

What could that reason be  ? 

There they  were with information  and efits which,   if made public,  might  have resulted in their missing child being found and saved from God knows what suffering

What reason could they have had    (  for withholding those efits from the public  )   that was more  important than   THAT  ? 

[pegasus]

Isn't it ridiculous, Pegasus, to use this argument concerning Mr Smith's observation, as if he had said that he recognized the man by how he hold the child ?
He didn't say that at all, read his statements !

Both these witnesses watching TV videos of the same TV airplane steps descent, claimed to identify a man based on body configurations and movements. Do you think the two statements are radically different from each other?

[AnneGuedes]

Both these witnesses watching TV videos of the same TV airplane steps descent, claimed to identify a man based on body configurations and movements. Do you think the two statements are radically different from each other?

Which witnesses are you talking about ?
Btw I seem to remember that you think Smithman is another Innocentman, don't you ?

[pegasus]

Smith, and McClusky (quoted above), both saw TV plane steps descent, both worried about it for several days, both then re-contacted police to identify the man they had seen carrying a child.

[AnneGuedes]

Smith, and McClusky (quoted above), both saw TV plane steps descent, both worried about it for several days, both then re-contacted police to identify the man they had seen carrying a child.

That's all about the similarity, Pegasus, be serious !
What stroke Mr Smith (and his wife) (and not Mr MClusky) was the uneasiness of the carrier holding the child. Experiment carrying a dead body, and you'll understand.