Kate and Gerry and the jemmied shutter claim.

[John]

Sorry, John, they don't roll about halfway, but occupy anarchically the space in the box.
Heri needed the window to be open, but these windows are automatically locked, once pushed completely. Nice but vain demonstration.
Then Heri needed someone to maintain the shutters up, because if they're not enrolled they fall if you don't secure them firmly.

The shutters can be raised from the outside, I have done it many times at my own home.  I agree the distance individual shutters can be raised depends on several factors.  However, it is irrelevant whether the window is locked or unlocked as the window has no relevance to the shutter.

As you pointed out, for anyone to be able to pull up the shutter far enough to climb in they need access to the strap inside thus an open window is a necessity. 

The photos taken of the childrens bedroom window show the strap on the rhs (looking from inside).  That is the same side the sliding pane opens from.  Thus any prospective intruder only needs to lift the shutter about 300mm, slide the window across (if unlocked) and pull the strap sufficiently to engage the mechanism and lock the shutter in position.  All they have to do now is continue to pull the strap until the shutter is sufficiently raised to afford access.

[AnneGuedes]

How do you do that without breaking the "locked" window ?
I did have these shutters, I know them very well (I hate them).

[Angelo222]

How do you do that without breaking the "locked" window ?
I did have these shutters, I know them very well (I hate them).

But isn't that the whole point that the window couldn't have been closed/locked since closing it automatically locks it.  Undoubtedly they left it open slightly to air the room.  The McCanns weren't to know the shutters could be opened from the outside.

[Kazcutt]

Watch the mike tesko videos when he stayed at MW and you will see that when the shutters are in the locked down position they can't be moved from outside. When the strap is in the unlocked they can.

When pat brown and Peter Mac tried it they were outside and it's clear from the tesko video they were not locked down

Mike Teskowski?? The murderer ??

[stephen25000]

All this assuming an abductor, and of course there are no prints indicating the windows/shutters were messed with at all.

Excluding of course Ms. Mccanns.

[jassi]

And didn't Mitchell eventually state that the windows and shutters were not the means of entry or exit >
Not that anyone can rely on anything he says as resembling the truth.

[stephen25000]

And didn't Mitchell eventually state that the windows and shutters were not the means of entry or exit >
Not that anyone can rely on anything he says as resembling the truth.

Exactly Jassi, on both points.

[Albertini]

Mike Teskowski?? The murderer ??

I have no idea.

All I know is he seems to have posted the most detailed description with photos of the internal workings of the shutters.

[Montclair]

We can't forget the fact that these shutters make a lot of noise when they are opened and closed with the strap or even when someone tries to lift them up from the outside. On an obviously very quiet night in Praia da Luz you can be sure that Mrs. Fenn or anyone else in the vicinity would have heard the noise.

[AnneGuedes]

The shutters and the window issue was carefully examined by the scientific police. Everybody has that kind of shutters in Portugal and that kind of window isn't rare at all. So they knew what they were talking about when saying no intrusion or extrusion occurred through the window.
BTW, the McCanns never said they left the window slightly open. It was closed when they arrived and they never touched it.

[DCI]

But isn't that the whole point that the window couldn't have been closed/locked since closing it automatically locks it.  Undoubtedly they left it open slightly to air the room.  The McCanns weren't to know the shutters could be opened from the outside.

I'm not sure they lock automatically Angelo.

There seems to be a small catch under the button. Is that the lock on these?



Plus the fact that Rebelo opened it from outside.

[south of the river]

are these the windows at the front ( car park ) or the patio doors at back ?

They look a bit low  down  to be the front window ?

[jassi]

THey look like the patio doors.

[jassi]

They are the windows of the bedroom Madeleine and the twins slept in.
If you look at the photograph of the  forensic lady doing her work it gives a better perspective.

I don't think they are as there is no trace of the shutters

[Redblossom]

I don't think they are as there is no trace of the shutters

In the  first pic you can see the bottom of the shutter....this is definitely the kids front bedroom window....the recess is for one shutter only whereas the patio doors had two shutters next to each other....also notice the short net curtains, around mid Rebelos height,  the patio net curtains were down to the floor...there are photos of Rebelo testing the patio entrance, I dont have any to hand at the mo

Re the window handle, Im guessing its something like double glazed window handles you press the knob to open it but when you shut it and release it closes/locks it shut though you can use a key to double lock