Could an intruder have opened the shutter and climbed in the window?

[pegasus]

It sounded like everyone was out
Proof - At about 9pm a witness stood just outside the child bedroom shutter and listened and there was no sound.

[faithlilly]

It sounded like everyone was out
Proof - At about 9pm a witness stood just outside the child bedroom shutter and listened and there was no sound.

You are merely speculating.....as are we all.

[Brietta]

It sounded like everyone was out
Proof - At about 9pm a witness stood just outside the child bedroom shutter and listened and there was no sound.

Well done you!! 
A few valiant attempts from you trying to keep the posts on topic. 

I have just found an interesting case where a father has spent 16 years in jail for the murder of his little girl ... read at ... http://freebart.org/

The situation regarding what the police took to be 'staging' of damage to the shutter and the blind makes sobering reading. Mirroring the allegations made by some about the 'staging' of the window in 5A.

[pegasus]

Lowlife burglar checklist
1. wait until dark
2. look - does it look like everyone is out?
3. go to an accessible window
4. listen at shutter - does it sound like everyone is out?
5. open shutter and window 
6. climb in
7. steal cash jewellery etc
If interrupted at any stage, obviously go away immediately, do not continue.

But what are the chances of someone interrupting a burglar exactly as he completes step 5.
Close to zero do you think?

[misty]

Well done you!! 
A few valiant attempts from you trying to keep the posts on topic. 

I have just found an interesting case where a father has spent 16 years in jail for the murder of his little girl ... read at ... http://freebart.org/

The situation regarding what the police took to be 'staging' of damage to the shutter and the blind makes sobering reading. Mirroring the allegations made by some about the 'staging' of the window in 5A.

We should perhaps be thankful there were no intact spider's webs noticed between the window & shutter of 5a.

[Brietta]

We should perhaps be thankful there were no intact spider's webs noticed between the window & shutter of 5a.

I've not read into it in any depth yet, there is quite a lot there ... but it would appear that until Bart raised the alarm when he went back for clothes, no-one else had bothered because it certainly wasn't a crime scene till then.  I've not watched the video produced by the expert about how quickly the spider weaves its web, but academic anyway as I don't think the web would have been disturbed by moving the screen.

The comparison with 5A that sprang to mind was the clean surface of the window frame.  Plus no indication of how she had gained entry ... I would have thought scuff marks on the wall below the window at least.

[Brietta]

Lowlife burglar checklist
1. wait until dark
2. look - does it look like everyone is out?
3. go to an accessible window
4. listen at shutter - does it sound like everyone is out?
5. open shutter and window 
6. climb in
7. steal cash jewellery etc
If interrupted at any stage, obviously go away immediately, do not continue.

But what are the chances of someone interrupting a burglar exactly as he completes step 5.
Close to zero do you think?

We've been following the same tack on this one ... and what I have discovered is that there are a few burglars who have absolutely no qualms about entering a property when the whole family is at home ... usually when they are asleep.

If the intruder to 5A had been caught in the act I think it perfectly possible the element of surprise might have been used and the person disturbing him/her could very well have been attacked.
I think that would have happened only in extremis ... the escape route having already been prepared for such an event.

[pegasus]

We've been following the same tack on this one ... and what I have discovered is that there are a few burglars who have absolutely no qualms about entering a property when the whole family is at home ... usually when they are asleep.

If the intruder had been caught in the act I think it perfectly possible the element of surprise might have been used and the person disturbing him/her could very well have been attacked.
I think that would have happened only in extremis ... the escape route having already been prepared for such an event.

I am interested in a burglar being interrupted exactly to the second at this moment Brietta -

5. open the shutter and window
(Burglar gets interrupted by a person at exactly this moment after step 5 but before step 6)
6. climb in  go away, don't climb in

What are the chances of that happening?

[misty]

We've been following the same tack on this one ... and what I have discovered is that there are a few burglars who have absolutely no qualms about entering a property when the whole family is at home ... usually when they are asleep.

If the intruder had been caught in the act I think it perfectly possible the element of surprise might have been used and the person disturbing him/her could very well have been attacked.
I think that would have happened only in extremis ... the escape route having already been prepared for such an event.

That is the difference with this case, though - it was not a family home complete with any abundance of valuables. It was a holiday let, occupied by a family on day 6 of a 7 day holiday.
If it was an opportunist burglar, why would he assume it was even occupied at all if there was no evidence anyone was in?

[pegasus]

That is the difference with this case, though - it was not a family home complete with any abundance of valuables. It was a holiday let, occupied by a family on day 6 of a 7 day holiday.
If it was an opportunist burglar, why would he assume it was even occupied at all if there was no evidence anyone was in?

buckets Misty

[misty]

buckets Misty

OK.

Buckets = children
Children after 9pm = sleeping.

Rear of property - clothes airer on balcony, shutters up, light in corner of lounge.

Not an opportunist but a professional who knew how to open shutters/windows but failed to observe people traffic at Block 5?

[Brietta]

I am interested in a burglar being interrupted exactly to the second at this moment Brietta -

5. open the shutter and window
(Burglar gets interrupted by a person at exactly this moment after step 5 but before step 6)
6. climb in  go away, don't climb in

What are the chances of that happening?

I am sure burglars quite often get interrupted and have to change their plans or make good their escape.  Things don't always go to plan ... witness the recent case in Portugal where the burglar was killed ... and it has been known for it to happen the other way round too.

Imo the proof that in this case there was no interruption ... is that Madeleine is missing and I believe she was the object of the intrusion.

[pegasus]

OK.

Buckets = children
Children after 9pm = sleeping.

Rear of property - clothes airer on balcony, shutters up, light in corner of lounge.

Not an opportunist but a professional who knew how to open shutters/windows but failed to observe people traffic at Block 5?

A very small-time burglar IMO. When everyone is out, use known opening trick, steal a few things, buy booze/drugs. How on earth is he supposed to predict there is anyone in there? It looks, and sounds, like everyone is out.

[Brietta]

buckets Misty

With reference to Misty's reply.

You yourself have posted about the burglar first ascertaining if the accommodation is empty using various means ... one of which is knocking the door, perhaps with a clip board in hand.
Hence SY interest in witness reports concerning people doing just that around the time Madeleine went missing.

Sometimes that fails or the burglar just doesn't seem to care too much if anyone is at home ... Mrs Fenn perhaps being a case in point.

[pegasus]

With reference to Misty's reply.

You yourself have posted about the burglar first ascertaining if the accommodation is empty using various means ... one of which is knocking the door, perhaps with a clip board in hand.
Hence SY interest in witness reports concerning people doing just that around the time Madeleine went missing.

Sometimes that fails or the burglar just doesn't seem to care too much if anyone is at home ... Mrs Fenn perhaps being a case in point.

Ok so it looks like everyone is out, there is no sound at the window shutter, but just to be sure imagine he knocks on the front door. No answer. Silence. To the burglar that confirms that there is no-one in.
I'm not making it up - there is another case where that happened.