How likely is it that Jane Tanner and the Smiths saw the 'same' man ?

[Eleanor]

I'm asking you. You stated that he was known to break in to holiday apartments. You must have got that from somewhere so I'm asking you to provide a cite to see how reliable this information is.

Ask the people who leaked this information.  Or you could prove that I am wrong.

[pathfinder73]

Not the same man. Smithman is the key to solving this case (TIMELINE IS CRITICAL - SY) :

Speaking from his home in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Mr Smith recalled the sighting, which is strikingly similar to one by a friend of the McCanns, Jane Tanner. In hindsight, the retired Mr Smith said, the mans rude behaviour should have aroused his suspicions.

He explained: "The one thing we noted afterwards was that he gave us no greeting.

"My wife Mary remembered afterwards that she asked him, 'Oh, is she asleep?' But he never acknowledged her one way or another.

"He just put his head down and averted his eyes. This is very unusual in a tourist town at such a quiet time of the year."

[AnneGuedes]

Not the same man. Smithman is the key to solving this case (TIMELINE IS CRITICAL - SY) :

Speaking from his home in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Mr Smith recalled the sighting, which is strikingly similar to one by a friend of the McCanns, Jane Tanner. In hindsight, the retired Mr Smith said, the mans rude behaviour should have aroused his suspicions.

He explained: "The one thing we noted afterwards was that he gave us no greeting.

"My wife Mary remembered afterwards that she asked him, 'Oh, is she asleep?' But he never acknowledged her one way or another.

"He just put his head down and averted his eyes. This is very unusual in a tourist town at such a quiet time of the year."

Mr Smith was delicate enough not to state this to the Gardai. But people don't cross in a village at night without some kind of greeting, or even a gesture.
I always thought that Smithman didn't answer because his accent could betray him.
Who will believe Ms Tanner, who passed Mr McCann and saw him, wouldn't say "hi" ?
Rude people ?

[Benita]

Mr Smith was delicate enough not to state this to the Gardai. But people don't cross in a village at night without some kind of greeting, or even a gesture.
I always thought that Smithman didn't answer because his accent could betray him.
Who will believe Ms Tanner, who passed Mr McCann and saw him, wouldn't say "hi" ?
Rude people ?

Gerry was talking to jez ..how rude would tanner of been if she interrupted their conversation just to say hi ... 8-)(--)

[Wonderfulspam]

Not the same man. Smithman is the key to solving this case (TIMELINE IS CRITICAL - SY) :

Speaking from his home in Drogheda, Co. Louth, Mr Smith recalled the sighting, which is strikingly similar to one by a friend of the McCanns, Jane Tanner. In hindsight, the retired Mr Smith said, the mans rude behaviour should have aroused his suspicions.

He explained: "The one thing we noted afterwards was that he gave us no greeting.

"My wife Mary remembered afterwards that she asked him, 'Oh, is she asleep?' But he never acknowledged her one way or another.

"He just put his head down and averted his eyes. This is very unusual in a tourist town at such a quiet time of the year."

"My wife Mary remembered afterwards that she asked him, 'Oh, is she asleep?' But he never acknowledged her one way or another.


Interesting that Mary Smith saw an inert child, but wasn't really sure enough that she was just 'asleep'.
She was that uncertain over the status of the child that she felt the need to ask.

[pegasus]

I looked through all the press reports at http://www.mccannfiles.com/id162.html to find that the very first press report anywhere in the world of this sighting was in the Drogheda Independent on 6th June 2007 (although you'd have to be a very avid newspaper follower to pick that up same day in Germany)

[pathfinder73]

"We were home two weeks when my son rang up and asked was he dreaming or did we meet a man carrying a child the night Madeleine was taken. We all remembered that we had the same recollection. I felt we should report it to the police.

"I rang the Portuguese police and they took a statement from me on the phone. Then they asked me to make a statement to gardai, which I did in Drogheda two weeks after the disappearance.

"Two days later, Leicestershire police got on to us and said they wanted to speak to all nine of us. But we felt there was no point dragging grand children and the whole lot out to Portugal so just my eldest son, Peter, and youngest daughter, Aoife, and I flew to Luz to make a statement.

The couple (Martin & Mary) were with their daughter Aoife, their son Peter and his wife Sile, as well as four grandchildren Tadhg, Cole, Aisling and Eimear. 9 in total.

[jassi]

"We were home two weeks when my son rang up and asked was he dreaming or did we meet a man carrying a child the night Madeleine was taken. We all remembered that we had the same recollection. I felt we should report it to the police.

"I rang the Portuguese police and they took a statement from me on the phone. Then they asked me to make a statement to gardai, which I did in Drogheda two weeks after the disappearance.

"Two days later, Leicestershire police got on to us and said they wanted to speak to all nine of us. But we felt there was no point dragging grand children and the whole lot out to Portugal so just my eldest son, Peter, and youngest daughter, Aoife, and I flew to Luz to make a statement.

The couple (Martin & Mary) were with their daughter Aoife, their son Peter and his wife Sile, as well as four grandchildren Tadhg, Cole, Aisling and Eimear. 9 in total.

So Mrs Smith didn't go to Portugal to make a statement - just father, son and daughter?

[pathfinder73]

Yes that is correct. No statement from Mary Smith.

"My wife Mary remembered afterwards that she asked him, 'Oh, is she asleep?' But he never acknowledged her one way or another. He just put his head down and averted his eyes."  (Martin Smith)

Now if that doesn't arouse high suspicion then nothing will. Smithman has to be the main suspect in my eyes.

[AnneGuedes]

She was that uncertain over the status of the child that she felt the need to ask.

The little girl's eyes were closed, but Mary Smith was uncertain, she felt something weird without even imagining what it could be. Perhaps she thought the child was ill.
It isn't the same to carry a sleeping child (muscular tension at rest), a child in a coma (still some muscular tonus) and a dead child (no muscular tension at all).

[AnneGuedes]

Smithman has to be the main suspect in my eyes.

SY found a possible innocent Tannerman, but they certainly found no possible innocent Smithman.
It was easier in the case of Tannerman since only the legs' bottom of a pyjama had been seen. In Smithman's case there's apparently no little blond white 4 girl brought to or taken from the creche this night around 10.

[ferryman]

SY found a possible innocent Tannerman, but they certainly found no possible innocent Smithman.
It was easier in the case of Tannerman since only the legs' bottom of a pyjama had been seen. In Smithman's case there's apparently no little blond white 4 girl brought to or taken from the creche this night around 10.

Gerry was in the Tapas Restaurant at the time of the Smith sighting.

The final PJ report says so.

[pathfinder73]

SY found a possible innocent Tannerman, but they certainly found no possible innocent Smithman.
It was easier in the case of Tannerman since only the legs' bottom of a pyjama had been seen. In Smithman's case there's apparently no little blond white 4 girl brought to or taken from the creche this night around 10.

Releasing the efits was for more eye witnesses to hopefully come forward in order to positively identify him. IMO SY/PJ will know he's the main suspect whatever the public may think or are led to believe from leaked reports.

[pathfinder73]

Gerry was in the Tapas Restaurant at the time of the Smith sighting.

The final PJ report says so.

TIMELINE IS CRITICAL - SY. Matt Oldfield in his statement said Kate left to check at 9.50pm. I've given other examples of discrepancies in the written timeline. Rachael Oldfield said Jane Tanner left at 9.10pm. That tapas timeline says 9.20pm. There are other discrepancies. I believe the timeline is incorrect in that final PJ report indicating Kate left to check at 10pm. I believe the alarm was raised before 10pm.

[AnneGuedes]

Releasing the efits was for more eye witnesses to hopefully come forward in order to positively identify him. IMO SY/PJ will know he's the main suspect whatever the public may think or are led to believe from leaked reports.

Certainly. Inspector Amaral at least was right to think Smithman was the main suspect !