Can patio door be clearly seen from the tapas bar?

[John]

There was a direct line of sight from the balcony to the tapas restaurant, it should be remembered that the bushes had just been trimmed.

Remind me … was it not just one of the theories to explain Eddies slight interest outside that Madeleine had stood on a chair and taken a tumble?

There doesn’t seem to be a problem with the notion that despite her mother’s opinion to the contrary, Madeleine had no bother opening the patio doors … closing the patio doors … opening the child gate … closing the child gate … opening the gate to the street … closing the gate to the street … and vanishing herself without screaming for her parents.

So what makes you think she would have been unable to move a chair, to stand on it and see her parents in the tapas restaurant?
Perhaps you can prove categorically it is not a possibility?

There might have been a direct line of sight for the 50-60 or so metres but in the dark through plastic sheeting and with other people wandering around, I fear Sadie's claim that Madeleine could have seen them from the balcony is a stretch too far.  In any event she didn't go out onto the balcony because the patio door was closed when Kate arrived at around 10pm.  Madeleine probably went out the front door, a route she was familiar with having taken it every day to get to kids club.  Once out possibly the door closed behind her...

[Alice Purjorick]

There are clearly some strange ideas on here as to what a line of sight is.

[pathfinder73]

How tall do you think she was?

[sadie]

There are clearly some strange ideas on here as to what a line of sight is.

Here we go again Yawn

http://www.mccannfiles.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/notwviewfrompatio.jpg


The bushes were freshly clipped on May 3rd. so the * line of vision * was better.   Here they have grown a little obscuring some.


Photo taken from in front of the patio windows.  The Tapas restaurant is immediately behind the pool, the building with two very large picture windows.


The Mccanns and the group sat in the RH window, more or less behind what appears to be tree trunks.  Despite looking further, the distance from the patio to the group is only 50 mettes.


A * Good line of vision *   even for someone who likes to drive a Maserati Quattro Portes.   

[pathfinder73]

What height is that taken at? A lot higher than Maddy's eye line. And it's not taken in the dark!

[Eleanor]

What height is that taken at? A lot higher than Maddy's eye line. And it's not taken in the dark!

This is true.

[jassi]

What height is that taken at? A lot higher than Maddy's eye line. And it's not taken in the dark!

For goodness sake stop being so picky 

[sadie]

What height is that taken at? A lot higher than Maddy's eye line. And it's not taken in the dark!

It is not taken in the dark, I appreciate that.

However Madeleine only had to stand on the low railing wall, which I bet she did occasionally and she would have seen her parents.  She would probably hear them too.  Gerry is loud and boistrous.

[John]

Not much chance of making anyone out in pitch darkness through plastic sheeting, Martin Brunt covered this some time ago in reverse.  A child on the balcony might see and hear the tapas restaurant 50/60 metres away but little more.  In any event Madeleine wasn't out on the balcony or Kate would have found the patio door slightly open when she did the 10pm check.  The real reason why the patio door was left open was so that Madeleine could be heard should she get up and venture out onto the balcony.  No doubt her parents were keeping an attentive ear open for her cries.