Could there have been an accomplice following behind whom Tanner didn't see?

[Angelo222]

Could also be that one of the abductors was in the apartment and was disturbed by Gerry at about 9.05pm and before he or she had a chance to open the window and shutters to hand Madeleine out the window.  Could be that Gerry and Jez were spotted chatting down the street so escaping via the window was the only option.

I will add this though. The fact that the window was left open and the shutter fully up would appear or preclude the presence of a second person at the apartment.  A second person would have been able to closed the window slightly and drop the shutters before escaping thereby not drawing attention to the apartment.

[Carana]

Whatever Carana, you can nit pit on many subjects, suggest possibilities, might have beens, suggest the moon is made of cheese, after all no one knows, things that get no one anywhere, in the end you are ignoring the main question, why would anyone see anything unless they were *looking* all the time, impossible in any case/ridiculous, and as I described  in my previous post, why look in the first place? if you thought there was a danger of anything you WOULD STAY HOME or get a sitter
 8-)(--)

I'm not "nit pit[ting]", as you put it. I'd agree that it's unlikely that anyone in the group concentrated on watching the apartments: there didn't seem to be any need to. However, it wouldn't take much for someone chatting to someone with a view towards the apartments to perhaps notice a shadowy figure going in through the patio door. It's possible that an intruder could have bent down to be less conspicuous, but it still seems risky. And even more risky to walk out with a bundle in your arms. A possibility is that someone walked in one way and went out the other. 

[Angelo222]

I dont see any problem with a car in the car park for a couple minutes and no one seeing it. I think one or both of the sightings that night were probably red herrings. The Smith sighting though is quite credible,more so in many ways than Tanners sighting.The Smiths saw a four yr old blonde girl, Tanner saw a pair of legs.

Yes, a pair of legs showing from below the knees, bare feet and wearing pyjama bottoms similar in color and pattern to those which Madeleine had been wearing!!  Quite a coincidence eh?

[Angelo222]

And the Smithcarrier was spotted by 9 pairs of eyes, all unaware of Madeleine McCann's existence.

And though and behold only one pair thought the man to be like Gerry McCann.  Just goes to show how wrong a witness can be. 

[AnneGuedes]

And though and behold only one pair thought the man to be like Gerry McCann.  Just goes to show how wrong a witness can be. 

Not one, two.

[sadie]

Not one, two.

Only one person thought that it might be Gerry enough to report it ... and that was based merely on the way he held his son.  A method of carrying that we all used with our kids.

The whole thing is fatuous

[faithlilly]

Only one person thought that it might be Gerry enough to report it ... and that was based merely on the way he held his son.  A method of carrying that we all used with our kids.

The whole thing is fatuous

Martin Smith's wife agreed.

[AnneGuedes]

Only one person thought that it might be Gerry enough to report it ... and that was based merely on the way he held his son.  A method of carrying that we all used with our kids.

The whole thing is fatuous

If two "independent" persons had the same feeling, could it be false memory ?
Martin Smith noted in his first statement that the carrier's way of carrying wasn't comfortable. When Mr McCann went down the steps, though he was carrying his son as everybody would have, he was not as "comfortable" as he had been on the ground. This might have been the "madeleine" (the little cake of Proust's first experience of affective reminiscence) which jogged his memory. The involuntary memory  provides an unanticipated link between an experience in the past and one in the present.

[Carana]

If two "independent" persons had the same feeling, could it be false memory ?
Martin Smith noted in his first statement that the carrier's way of carrying wasn't comfortable. When Mr McCann went down the steps, though he was carrying his son as everybody would have, he was not as "comfortable" as he had been on the ground. This might have been the "madeleine" (the little cake of Proust's first experience of affective reminiscence) which jogged his memory. The involuntary memory  provides an unanticipated link between an experience in the past and one in the present.

The only person who apparently agreed with him was his wife (even though she didn't make a separate statement)

The others in the group didn't agree.

[AnneGuedes]

The only person who apparently agreed with him was his wife (even though she didn't make a separate statement)

The others in the group didn't agree.

It is not "apparently", Carana, Mr Smith said so and had no reason to lie. His wife thought that stating was unnecessary. They weren't sure 100%, it was just a lead, nothing more.

Mr Smith doesn't say the other members of the family didn't agree (meaning had an another idea) he said the only one who felt the same way as me was my wife.
The way of carrying Madeleine hadn't been a madeleine for them.
Who, among the Smiths, had been the closest to this man or saw this man the longest ?

[Chinagirl]

The way of carrying Madeleine hadn't been a madeleine for them.

What does this mean?

[AnneGuedes]

"madeleine" (cake) here is a metonymy.
Marcel Proust's madeleine triggered a reminiscence that no forced memorisation would bring back.

[Mrs. B]

Mr. Smith said: During that time I spoke with all of my family members who were with me on the 3rd of May 2007 about this and the only one who felt the same way as me was my wife."

That means that the other people in the group did NOT agree with him & his wife.

[AnneGuedes]

Mr. Smith said: During that time I spoke with all of my family members who were with me on the 3rd of May 2007 about this and the only one who felt the same way as me was my wife."

That means that the other people in the group did NOT agree with him & his wife.

Who said they agreed or rather had the same feeling ?

[Mrs. B]

Who said they agreed or rather had the same feeling ?

The only person who agreed with Mr. Smith, i..e shared his feelings, was his wife, the others didn't. This is simple English as spoken by an English person.