In her book Kate McCann asserts that Tannerman and Smithman are the same?

[Angelo222]

No, Angelo, Mrs McCann didn't look at her watch.
This is likely the time, +/- a minute, when Smithman crossed the Smiths. He had to check his watch in order to have an alibi for that time, in case he would be suspected, don't you think ?

Who?

[AnneGuedes]

Who?

Smithman. He's the last person seen with Madeleine (very likely). That's why DCI Redwood wants to find him.

[colombosstogey]

Yes, the exact moment that Kate was discovering that Madeleine was gone.  If the abductor took her around 9.45/9.50pm he would have time to walk down to where he became Smithman at 10.00/10.03pm.

It took several days for the Smith family to report this.  Are we really expected to believe an abductor could walk for this distance carrying a scantily clad youngster and not be seen by anyone else?

EXACTLY. I find this sighting very odd.

The thing is they were not worried by it were they? Again its seeing someone in a holiday complex wouldnt you normally see people?

Why even would you take much notice of this sighting at the time. When you are on holiday and just coming out of a bar after drinking and enjoying yourself, your just chatting and whiling away the evening together. YOUR not expecting anything sinister to occur, and a man walking through a holiday town with a child would hardly deem to be sinister, as I am sure it was a regular site to see the dads collecting kids from creche and babysitters etc, as I expect mum is back in the apartment with other children etc.....

Why should this person acknowledge them in any way. Perhaps he was scared he might wake the child up?

No I would have given this sighting but a fleeting glance and carried on chatting and walking home.

So could this sighting be genuine? Well why not. People go on holiday they could live anywhere in the world even from the states why not. Perhaps they have never heard of the McCann case, I know of people shock horror who havent heard of her.

Also how observant are people really?

For example in my sitting room I have a large painting on one wall of the lavender fields in France. 2 people who visit me regular never noticed it lol, until months afterwards.....

We are not trained to be observant are we?

Thats why if you ask 6 people to look at one person for a fleeting moment ALL the descriptions will be different.

It takes a certain person who can remember things well....

No I think too much is made of either sighting for me neither ever made any sense.

I truly believe if the child was taken it was quickly through the front door, and off towards the old road.

Also another thing i find puzzling.

IF you have an intention of stealing a child from an apartment at night you would have some idea the child would be wearing flimsy nightware. Wouldnt you come prepared with blanket, or even have taken the blanket (pink) to keep the child warm.? Surely you would not just take a child out of the apartment in flimsy nightwear with the chances of her waking up.

No for me I think the case could be simple as someone knowing her, taking her willingly out of the apartment with the promise they were going to see mum and dad or similar, and wrapping the child warmly, and taking her off in a car and gone. MINUTES......it would take MINUTES....

I think she could have been gone AFTER McCanns first check, and I dont believe Oldfield actually looked inside the apartment.

[Angelo222]

I was going back over some old threads yesterday and came across this schematic diag of the tapas-9 checkers movements.  As can be seen, all males (including David) were present at the tapas at 10pm and only Jane was missing.

[pathfinder73]

Dianne Webster was the only one present at the tapas at 10pm.

[icabodcrane]

I was going back over some old threads yesterday and came across this schematic diag of the tapas-9 checkers movements.  As can be seen, all males (including David) were present at the tapas at 10pm and only Jane was missing.

I remember that thread,  which evolved over many pages,  and,  with patience and effort John,  brought us to  an accurate a graphic as possible as to where the tapas group say they were throughout the evening

What  is important to acknowledge, though, is that it is where the group  SAY they were  ...  the timeline is based entirely and exclusively on their  'say so'

Two witness statements from independent sources  (  the waiter who served their meal,  and the cook who left through the restaurant on the way home from his shift  )   presents a  different picture

The waiter says two males left the table that night  ....   one for 15 minutes   (  Russell O brien,  as shown in the graph you've reproduced here  )   ....  and one for half an hour   (  not shown in the graph at all  ) 

The chef,  who left through the restaurant when he had finished work for the night  (  at 9.45pm  ) ,  says that only Diane Webster was sat at the table at that point  ) 

We must decide,  therefore,  whether we accept the tapas group version as  being set in stone  regardless  of the fact that it is disputed by independent witnesses 

[Sherlock Holmes]

Dianne Webster was the only one present at the tapas at 10pm.

Isn't it the other way around, Pathfinder?

One thing this graph illustrates is what an astonishing fact it would be if an abductor were to have taken Madeleine shortly after 9. This was during the only small chunk of time Gerry was in or near the apartment.

The long vista of Green belonging to Gerry represents the longest sitting, apparently, of all four mentioned.

[pathfinder73]

I remember that thread,  which evolved over many pages,  and,  with patience and effort John,  brought us to  an accurate a graphic as possible as to where the tapas group say they were throughout the evening

What  is important to acknowledge, though, is that it is where the group  SAY they were  ...  the timeline is based entirely and exclusively on their  'say so'

Two witness statements from independent sources  (  the waiter who served their meal,  and the cook who left through the restaurant on the way home from his shift  )   presents a  different picture

The waiter says two males left the table that night  ....   one for 15 minutes   (  Russell O brien,  as shown in the graph you've reproduced here  )   ....  and one for half an hour   (  not shown in the graph at all  ) 

The chef,  who left through the restaurant when he had finished work for the night  (  at 9.45pm  ) ,  says that only Diane Webster was sat at the table at that point  ) 

We must decide,  therefore,  whether we accept the tapas group version as  being set in stone  regardless  of the fact that it is disputed by independent witnesses 

And we can go from the tapas group statements for a better rough estimate.

1. Matt 9.50
2. Russ returns 9.45 waits 5 minutes for his steak and when he gets it Kate leaves around the same time according to him.

From the various statement accounts (I'm not including the McCann's it was 10pm mantra). I can deduct that Kate left to check at the latest 9.52. From other group statements she isn't gone long - not 5 minutes. She raises the alarm at an estimate 9.55 and they all go running off to 5A. So Dianne would be the only one that could be present at the tapas at 10pm.

[pathfinder73]

Isn't it the other way around, Pathfinder?

One thing this graph illustrates is what an astonishing fact it would be if an abductor were to have taken Madeleine shortly after 9. This was during the only small chunk of time Gerry was in or near the apartment.

The long vista of Green belonging to Gerry represents the longest sitting, apparently, of all four mentioned.

That's my hypothesis. There's 2 exact times down to the minute said on this night. You can say it was a Revelation Moment 

1. 9.04
2. 10.03

They are both connected and show me how Madeleine disappeared.

[AnneGuedes]

Dianne Webster was the only one present at the tapas at 10pm.

The only sitting at the table one. the waiter Ricardo reports that Mr Oldfield and Mr Payne were inspecting the pool.

[AnneGuedes]

it appears that the McCanns  STILL assert  that Tannerman and Smithman  may be one and the same   

That's the point, only the first one allows an alibi.

[AnneGuedes]

That's my hypothesis. There's 2 exact times down to the minute said on this night. You can say it was a Revelation Moment 

1. 9.04
2. 10.03

They are both connected and show me how Madeleine disappeared.

It is certainly based on much more solid ground than the from bed fantasy.

[icabodcrane]

That's the point, only the first one allows an alibi.

But to continue suggesting that Jane saw  the abductor  ...  when it flies in the face,   and contradicts the conclusion of  a two and a half year investigation by Scotland Yard that has cost seven million pounds  ? 

 

[AnneGuedes]

The thing is they were not worried by it were they? Again its seeing someone in a holiday complex wouldnt you normally see people?

Exactly. A father carrying his sleeping child back home. Just rude and clumsy. Nothing more.

[AnneGuedes]

But to continue suggesting that Jane saw  the abductor  ...  when it flies in the face,   and contradicts the conclusion of  a two and a half year investigation by Scotland Yard that has cost seven million pounds  ? 

DCI Redwood could have used the PJ final report to knock down Tannerman.
Lawyers wouldn't let him do that.
He tried it hard, but he had to be politically correct.