Latest news on the search for Madeleine McCann

[Eleanor]

How many times do you phone home in one night if you are working?  How many times do you phone home if you are not working?

[Estuarine]

The Portugal News sayshttp://theportugalnews.com/news/new-turn-in-madeleine-case/30497
. contrary to information contained in British tabloids in the past fortnight suggesting police were hot on the trail of a group of burglars, police were actually interested in speaking to three staff members who were at the resort the night Madeleine disappeared.

Sources close to the case told The Portugal News on Thursday that these individuals were of particular interest as they had made “an abnormally high number of mobile phone calls to areas outside the resort the night she went missing”.

The source explained that these calls were domestic, but unlike their colleagues who called each other as the search proceeded, the trio made domestic calls to areas of no geographical interest in the ensuing search.

So three 2007 employees, with no connection to any burglaries, are unfairly placed under suspicion, simply because they used their mobiles to call places outside PDL that night.

Who are these sources one wonders?

[pegasus]

There is nothing wrong with employees phoning relatives/friends in their home towns.
Certain tourists that night were also making numerous calls/txts to outside PDL which could not possibly help the search.
Also there would be numerous calls that night and the next morning between PDL and other places by MW/PRcompany/consulate staff.
But only low-paid non-UK "foreigners" get targeted.
Unfair and illogical.

[jassi]

Who are these sources one wonders?

The counter-spin brigade 

[Angelo222]

I wonder what is considered an 'abnormally high' number of calls ? Some people are welded to their phones, whereas other seldom use them.

I have to agree with you on that one.  Lots of people do business on their phone as Robert Murat and Sergei Malinka were doing that night after Madeleine disappeared.   Doesn't make them child abductors though.   8-)(--)

[Angelo222]

There is nothing wrong with employees phoning relatives/friends in their home towns.
Certain tourists that night were also making numerous calls/txts to outside PDL which could not possibly help the search.
Also there would be numerous calls that night and the next morning between PDL and other places by MW/PRcompany/consulate staff.
But only low-paid non-UK "foreigners" get targeted.
Unfair and illogical.

Why is that?  Why is it that only Portuguese workers are being targeted when we know there were hoardes of British paedophiles lurking around??

[pegasus]

Why is that?  Why is it that only Portuguese workers are being targeted when we know there were hoardes of British paedophiles lurking around??

According to that "Portugal News" report, the calls were "domestic", meaning between PDL and other parts of Portugal
If SY (illogically IMO) pick out calls that night between PDL and other areas of Portugal, inevitably SY will end up with suspects whose family/friends live in other parts of Portugal, which means mainly Portuguese nationals.

The bias in the investigative technique - selecting calls to other parts of Portugal, rather than calls to foreign countries like UK - results unintentionally yet inevitably in a bias towards harassing innocent Portuguese employees IMO. 

[Eleanor]

I wouldn't be all that pleased if my employees were making numerous calls during working hours.
And if they weren't working what were they doing there?

[Carana]

Why is that?  Why is it that only Portuguese workers are being targeted when we know there were hoardes of British paedophiles lurking around??

Who says that only Portuguese workers are being targeted, aside from the tabloids?

The facts so far seem to be that:

- SY has launched an investigation and PT has relaunched its own one;

- potential leads have been generated by phone traffic;

- SY seems to think that Tannerman is quite likely to be Innocentman, and therefore Smithman has become the focus;

- two sets of ILoRs have been sent and received;

- various meetings have taken place;

- there are attempts to trace various people to interview them, either for the first time, or more in depth.

[pegasus]

The original investigation of mobile phone traffic (which BTW was done by expert UK analysts who went to PDL in May 2007) found only two cases, of non-UK employees who lived outside PDL yet pinged in PDL that night outside their standard work hours.

Both cases where examined and explained. One was an employee who kindly worked late because of work-load and phoned his wife to say he would be late. 

[jassi]

I wouldn't be all that pleased if my employees were making numerous calls during working hours.
And if they weren't working what were they doing there?

I dare say they have every right to be there - the place isn't exclusive to non-Portuguese - maybe they were having a night out.

[Eleanor]

I dare say they have every right to be there - the place isn't exclusive to non-Portuguese - maybe they were having a night out.

And had to phone relatives numerous times.  Some night out.

[jassi]

And had to phone relatives numerous times.  Some night out.

Maybe they were sending 'selfies' 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Maybe they were sending 'selfies' 

 


How quickly times have changed!

[VIXTE]

The Portugal News sayshttp://theportugalnews.com/news/new-turn-in-madeleine-case/30497

So three 2007 employees, with no connection to any burglaries, are unfairly placed under suspicion, simply because they used their mobiles to call places outside PDL that night.

And how do YOU know this is either fairly or unfairly?
If any of them had a criminal record it would be OK for them to be suspects.