Mark Williams-Thomas suggests Madeleine woke, wandered and was abducted.

[ShiningInLuz]

I have my theory and he came from 5A so he went around the wasteland and past that camera to the sighting.

Past what camera?

Textusa missed the most important thing in this photo.  The 4 antennae for the TMN and Vodaphone telephone masts sitting on top of no 2, Rua Primeiro. 

[pegasus]

Do you have any idea where you got that from?  If correct, it advances my understanding of the scene, hence my interest in the source.

Brietta posted the PJ file re dull red car containing woman and dog driving past video shop at 10.45pm. That video shop was at Rua Direita 20, some distance NE of Lobsters kidsclub. Unfortunatley the witness does not say which direction the car was going. (edited).

[pegasus]

Do you have any idea where you got that from?  If correct, it advances my understanding of the scene, hence my interest in the source.

I remember seeing a photo or aerial photo of a street in 2007 (possibly Rua HNB not sure) with the old surface removed but the new cobbled surface not yet laid, and there were several cars there indicating the road was open for access to businesses although having no top surface, I will try to find it.

[pegasus]

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/P13/13_VOLUME_XIIIa_Page_3986.jpg
@ShiningInLuz taking the always downhill route (south on R Martins, left on R Teixeira, right on Rua Direita) arrives immediately at this trench (position and length marked by  2 orange pipes) which was open that night. Trench was 1.2 metres deep, which is relative to a child height of 1 metre very deep. But next morning it was checked by workmen aware of the disappearance and there was definitely no-one in there.

[pegasus]

The idea that a child can't open a sliding door is nonsense

[jassi]

Have you got one of them closing it again from the outside ?

[pathfinder73]

Past what camera?

Textusa missed the most important thing in this photo.  The 4 antennae for the TMN and Vodaphone telephone masts sitting on top of no 2, Rua Primeiro.

Past this camera. Not very busy is it. It amazes me why people complicate things that are simple and straight forward.

[Brietta]

Past this camera. Not very busy is it.

There seemed to be a bit of difficulty in retrieving CCTV footage from those places which had it installed.  For example, petrol stations where the police had to wait a matter of days for a technician to access the equipment to give them a copy.  On at least one occasion the police viewed the images in situ rather than wait.

Some had had the images wiped concerning the night in question as a result of automatic deletion of the tape or disc being recorded over in the next cycle.

Perhaps if the Smith family had thought to report their sighting to the PJ as soon as Madeleine's disappearance became news ... the morning of the 4th of May ... instead of realising it had not been a dream a fortnight later, accessing the footage from the CCTV would have been a priority.
Which at least would have allowed the time of the family's return to be verified even if it did not pick up the carrier.

Since there were so few installations in Praia da Luz ... it is disappointing this one wasn't checked as a matter of course ... particularly when the proximity to 5A is considered.

But a report of the Smith sighting on the 4th May would certainly have caused it to be a priority and would have been invaluable to the investigation, instead of just another one of those 'if only s'.

[pegasus]

Have you got one of them closing it again from the outside ?

No but, it proves that from inside a 2 yr-old can easily reach the handle of this exact brand of sliding door.

[jassi]

I know this. I'm more interested in whether a 3 year old would be closing the door once they have left. Not only closing it, but leaving it in the same position as left by the parents.

[pegasus]

I know this. I'm more interested in whether a 3 year old would be closing the door once they have left. Not only closing it, but leaving it in the same position as left by the parents.

I agree that if someone only wants to go out a sliding door to get to the street as soon as possible, they would not waste time closing the sliding door behind them. So you make a very good point.

However if someone exits through a sliding door in a situation where there is a perceived threat behind them, perhaps closing the sliding door behind may make sense?

[pegasus]

(snip) ... Not only closing it, but leaving it in the same position as left by the parents.

The witnesses in statements use the word "closed" in a vague sense, a document in the files states that the sliding door was left open by a small gap width of fingers.

See footage of GM opening the sliding door from outside. This is interesting, because it completely unintentionally provides a very good reenactment of how checkers arriving at this apartment opened the sliding door from outside. Why is it easy for him to open? Because, without realising the value to us of this footage, the film crew have left it slightly open with enough gap for fingers. Exactly like was done during tapas meals IMO.

http://youtu.be/atfDV7imHHY?t=12m41s

[ShiningInLuz]

Past this camera. Not very busy is it. It amazes me why people complicate things that are simple and straight forward.

I am not shooting the messenger i.e. you.  I am however shooting the message.  Totally and unequivocally.

This video goes beyond being pure horse manure into the territory of myths to be debunked.

On Estrela da Luz there are 9 customer gates overlooked by 10 CCTV cameras.  Plus a 24hr reception that presumably has CCTV.  10 entrances and 11 CCTVs.

Can you find ANY mention of CCTV from Estrela in the PJ Files.  If they only missed one, there should be 10 others.  Where are they?

ALL of the CCTV cameras (with 2 minor exceptions) are trained INSIDE the Estrela da Luz complex.  (I believe this is a requirement of Portuguese law, but I can't be certain.)

If we hit jackpot, one single chance in 11, we would 'miss' the Smiths returning, assuming they used that entrance.

However, on odds of 10 out of 11, we should have the Smiths nailed down on their return.

We don't have the time of their return, so what went wrong?

1)  The Estrela tapes had been overwritten before the Smith sighting surfaced.

2)  We were very unlucky, hitting the one camera in 11 that somehow the CCTV operator AND the policeman failed to point out.

3)  A finger is being pointed at a PJ officer cocking up, when it was quite possibly another PJ officer who cocked up.

[ShiningInLuz]

I remember seeing a photo or aerial photo of a street in 2007 (possibly Rua HNB not sure) with the old surface removed but the new cobbled surface not yet laid, and there were several cars there indicating the road was open for access to businesses although having no top surface, I will try to find it.

This is the 22 Jun 2007 G Earth view.  Rua Helena is car-free.  The previous image, shortly before, is also car-free.  The one before that in 2006 has several cars on it.

From the 22 Jun 2007 image, I cannot see anything that is blocking Rua Helena off to traffic.  Not to the north, nor the south, nor the east through that excruciatingly small zig-zag road.

So it looks as if motor access was possible, just with the obstacles of the man-hole covers sticking up above the flattened surface.

ETA It would have helped if I had attached the graphic the first time around!!!

[pegasus]

This is the 22 Jun 2007 G Earth view.  Rua Helena is car-free.  The previous image, shortly before, is also car-free.  The one before that in 2006 has several cars on it.

From the 22 Jun 2007 image, I cannot see anything that is blocking Rua Helena off to traffic.  Not to the north, nor the south, nor the east through that excruciatingly small zig-zag road.

So it looks as if motor access was possible, just with the obstacles of the man-hole covers sticking up above the flattened surface.

Maybe it was open only for access to businesses and residences?