Donal MacIntyre's renders his theory on what happened.

[Redblossom]

I just read MacIntyre's complete article in the Express,  and,  like the McCanns themselves,  he suggests that the abductor had been in the apartment some time previously  ( doing a 'dry run' in his words ) 

But he offers no explanation as to  why an abductor would do such a risky thing just for   'practice' 

His theory is based entirely on supposition and consequently has not a shred of credibility about it

Ive heard of dry runs for bank robberies, diamond heists, escaping from Colditz, etc, never for stealing children! Its nonsense of course.

[AnneGuedes]

Ive heard of dry runs for bank robberies, diamond heists, escaping from Colditz, etc, never for stealing children! Its nonsense of course.

The "dry run" was supposed to explain an eventual induction into sleep from the 3rd afternoon on and the crying episode that Mrs Fenn didn't hear, likely because she wasn't home. But what the hypothetical "dry run" does is to mainly reduce to zero the shutters/window drama and the red herring as well.