Yet more old news rehashed as the Cabbie story is retold.

[faithlilly]

Well someone's lying.

While the secrecy of justice law continues to constrain any official clarification about the Madeleine Case, unofficial PJ sources were quoted by the Portuguese-language press as confirming the existence of António Cardoso’s report in the case files.

Wasn't his son a GNR Officer?

Someone certainly is lying. I can find no mention of a report from Mr Castela in the case files.

[Eleanor]

Well someone's lying.

While the secrecy of justice law continues to constrain any official clarification about the Madeleine Case, unofficial PJ sources were quoted by the Portuguese-language press as confirming the existence of António Cardoso’s report in the case files.

Wasn't his son a GNR Officer?

I do believe you are right.  I had forgotten that.

[DCI]

I do believe you are right.  I had forgotten that.

Yes I am right Eleanor.

The next day, António was watching the television news besides his son and his granddaughter, with the same age of Maddie. With astonishment he saw that the blond girl of light eyes had disappeared. “I immediately told my son: ' I transported that girl yesterday! ’ ”.
The son, a police officer of the GNR, advised the father to phone to the Judiciary Police of Portimão. “ He (the son) dialled the number and I said what I am telling you (to the journalist of 24 Horas newspaper)”, he remembers to 24horas.
The inspector who answered then asked him if in the hotel there was a system of video vigilance. The taxi-driver did not know.

[faithlilly]

I do believe you are right.  I had forgotten that.

The quote regarding an unofficial PJ source relates to the article in the Portuguese press in which Mr Castela claims Madeleine was in his taxi on the 3rd of May before 10pm, not the 4th, and was accompanied by Kate and Murat lookalikes. So are we assuming that is the report, if it exists, contained within the case files ?

[faithlilly]

Yes I am right Eleanor.

The next day, António was watching the television news besides his son and his granddaughter, with the same age of Maddie. With astonishment he saw that the blond girl of light eyes had disappeared. “I immediately told my son: ' I transported that girl yesterday! ’ ”.
The son, a police officer of the GNR, advised the father to phone to the Judiciary Police of Portimão. “ He (the son) dialled the number and I said what I am telling you (to the journalist of 24 Horas newspaper)”, he remembers to 24horas.
The inspector who answered then asked him if in the hotel there was a system of video vigilance. The taxi-driver did not know.

The 24hors article stated Mr Castela had seen Maddie on the 3rd, about 8.45 IIRC, and not the 4th.

[AnneGuedes]

The 24hors article stated Mr Castela had seen Maddie on the 3rd, about 8.45 IIRC, and not the 4th.

All he said is that he called a PJ nb dialled by his son. They would take a note. What the taxidriver said was likely considered irrelevant for the case (wasn't Madeleine's presence in her bed witnessed by her own father at 21h05 ?) and no statement was asked. As when Martin called the PJ in May 2007. There's no note about it in the files. He was told carrying a child wasn't unusual (they were after Bundleman at the time) and sent to the gardaí.

[DCI]

The 24hors article stated Mr Castela had seen Maddie on the 3rd, about 8.45 IIRC, and not the 4th.

Funny only the 24hors and another Portuguese paper mention Kate being in the car.
British papers don't.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1580173/Madeleine-McCann-was-in-my-taxi-man-claims.html 11:31AM GMT 28 Feb 2008

[Eleanor]

Amazing the lengths to which some people will go to trash a possible sighting.

This needs looking into, and no doubt will be since there is doubt about the date.

[stephen25000]

Funny only the 24hors and another Portuguese paper mention Kate being in the car.
British papers don't.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1580173/Madeleine-McCann-was-in-my-taxi-man-claims.html11:31AM GMT 28 Feb 2008

Surely you don't believe everything in a UK newspaper is the truth ?

[Angelo222]

Clarence Mitchell poo poo'd it at the time by reminding everyone that several witnesses placed Kate and Gerry at the tapas bar at that time so it was impossible.

Could the date have been wrong?

[faithlilly]

Funny only the 24hors and another Portuguese paper mention Kate being in the car.
British papers don't.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1580173/Madeleine-McCann-was-in-my-taxi-man-claims.html  11:31AM GMT 28 Feb 2008

The link doesn't seem to work for me. No matter. Knowing the litigious nature of the McCanns I'm sure the Telegraph were erring on the side of caution.

[faithlilly]

It was the night of the 3rd May that he claimed to have seen Madeleine in his taxi with the adults. Clarence Mitchell poo poo'd it at the time by reminding everyone that several witnesses placed Kate and Gerry at the tapas bar at that time so it was impossible.

Poor soul should have gone to Portuguese SpecSavers!!

So the sighting is of no value at all, agreed ?

[DCI]

Amazing the lengths to which some people will go to trash a possible sighting.

This needs looking into, and no doubt will be since there is doubt about the date.

Yes it does Eleanor. How does anyone know if the dates were right, in those papers. I'm sure SY will have looked at this, and not binned it.

[DCI]

The link doesn't seem to work for me. No matter. Knowing the litigious nature of the McCanns I'm sure the Telegraph were erring on the side of caution.

http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/press/11feb8/TELEGRAPH_29_02_08.htm

Erring on the side of caution? Not on the date this was printed 

By Natalie Paris
Last Updated: 2:29AM GMT 29 Feb 2008
 
Claims Madeleine was quiet and dressed in her pyjamas 
 
Antonio Castela
 
A taxi driver has reportedly claimed to have taken Madeleine McCann and Robert Murat for a ride in his cab on the night the toddler vanished.
Antonio Cardoso, 67, alleges that Madeleine was with three men and a woman who were waiting at a taxi rank in Monte Gordo near the Spanish border.

The Sun newspaper reports that he took them on a short journey to a hotel where the group transferred to a jeep with foreign number plates.
Mr Cardoso claimed the girl in the back of his taxi at 8.10pm on May 3 was wearing pink pyjamas and had a distinctive mark in her eye.

He said he later recognised one of the men as Robert Murat after watching a television programme.

The claims have shocked Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who have rejected them for being incompatible with the known chain of events that night.

Murat was made an official suspect, or arguido, two weeks after the little girl disappeared but has always denied any involvement in the case.

Mr Cardoso said he drove the group in silence for about two miles from the Hotel Apolo in Vila Real de Santo Antonio near Faro, with the man who he believed to be Murat sat beside him in the front passenger seat.

He claimed the girl he thought was Madeleine was awake but said nothing during the trip and stared straight ahead.

He told the Sun: "I noticed her eye because my son was born with a defect much the same. I saw her kind of twist her chin a few times in my rear-view mirror.

"I remember she was in pink pyjamas and wondered why they hadn't dressed her."

He described the adults as casually dressed and the woman as a slim blonde.

Mr Cardoso said he had informed the police of the apparent encounter but as well as Metodo 3, the private detective agency hired by the McCanns.

But the McCanns spokesman Clarence Mitchell told the newspaper: "We are dismissing this primarily because the timings are entirely wrong."
 

[faithlilly]

http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/press/11feb8/TELEGRAPH_29_02_08.htm

Erring on the side of caution? Not on the date this was printed 

By Natalie Paris
Last Updated: 2:29AM GMT 29 Feb 2008
 
Claims Madeleine was quiet and dressed in her pyjamas 
 
Antonio Castela
 
A taxi driver has reportedly claimed to have taken Madeleine McCann and Robert Murat for a ride in his cab on the night the toddler vanished.
Antonio Cardoso, 67, alleges that Madeleine was with three men and a woman who were waiting at a taxi rank in Monte Gordo near the Spanish border.

The Sun newspaper reports that he took them on a short journey to a hotel where the group transferred to a jeep with foreign number plates.
Mr Cardoso claimed the girl in the back of his taxi at 8.10pm on May 3 was wearing pink pyjamas and had a distinctive mark in her eye.

He said he later recognised one of the men as Robert Murat after watching a television programme.

The claims have shocked Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who have rejected them for being incompatible with the known chain of events that night.

Murat was made an official suspect, or arguido, two weeks after the little girl disappeared but has always denied any involvement in the case.

Mr Cardoso said he drove the group in silence for about two miles from the Hotel Apolo in Vila Real de Santo Antonio near Faro, with the man who he believed to be Murat sat beside him in the front passenger seat.

He claimed the girl he thought was Madeleine was awake but said nothing during the trip and stared straight ahead.

He told the Sun: "I noticed her eye because my son was born with a defect much the same. I saw her kind of twist her chin a few times in my rear-view mirror.

"I remember she was in pink pyjamas and wondered why they hadn't dressed her."

He described the adults as casually dressed and the woman as a slim blonde.

Mr Cardoso said he had informed the police of the apparent encounter but as well as Metodo 3, the private detective agency hired by the McCanns.

But the McCanns spokesman Clarence Mitchell told the newspaper: "We are dismissing this primarily because the timings are entirely wrong."

Thank you for posting the article. TBH the whole sighting is nonsense so why was Clarence Mitchell giving it credence last year ?