The confusion over the doors didn't help the investigation?

[Benice]

Gerry's second statement -Despite what he said in his previous statements, he states now and with certainty, that he left with KATE through the back door which he consequently closed but did not lock, given that that is only possible from the inside. Concerning the front door, although he is certain that it was closed, it is unlikely that it was locked, because they left through the back door.

Not a translation error then!

No - a misunderstanding about doors IMO.

Unless of course,  someone can come up with the reason why GM would want the PJ to think that he deliberately ignored the unlocked patio door - a mere few feet away -  and decided for some inexplicable reason to take the much longer route - to achieve exactly the same goal  - i.e. simply to enter 5A.   

What would be his explanation for doing that - when he'd already stated that the patio door was unlocked?

I notice another 'clue' in GMs statement from the PJ officer which indicates to me that confusion had probably occurred over the doors - and where they were situated.

Quote
The side door leading to the living room was closed, which as previously stated, was never left locked.
Unquote.

What side door?   There are none.

The fact that confusion over the doors had previously occurred is mentioned by the UK police officer during JT's rogatory interview is also very pertinent IMO.

[Benice]

I find it quite plausible that there was a lost-in-comprehension issue in Gerry's 4 May statement. It was the first interview, Gerry had had only a couple of hours rest, the PJ officer would not necessarily have received a report about the layout of the apartment from the officers who were there in the early hours of the morning and there's no reason to suppose that the lady who served as an interpreter had any prior knowledge either.

I quite agree Carana.  And IMO there's no reason to suppose that the interpreter had previous experience of a Glaswegian accent either.   Or that misunderstandings could have occurred if her own accent was strong.

IMO The language barrier, coupled with unfamiliar different cultures -  was always a huge obstacle - from the POV of both sides - in this case.



 

[Mr Gray]

I quite agree Carana.  And IMO there's no reason to suppose that the interpreter had previous experience of a Glaswegian accent either.   Or that misunderstandings could have occurred if her own accent was strong.

IMO The language barrier, coupled with unfamiliar different cultures -  was always a huge obstacle - from the POV of both sides - in this case.

As I have said before it is absolutely ridiculous to claim that there are no errors in the translations...we just don't know how many

[peter claridge]

No - a misunderstanding about doors IMO.

Unless of course,  someone can come up with the reason why GM would want the PJ to think that he deliberately ignored the unlocked patio door - a mere few feet away -  and decided for some inexplicable reason to take the much longer route - to achieve exactly the same goal  - i.e. simply to enter 5A.   

What would be his explanation for doing that - when he'd already stated that the patio door was unlocked?

I notice another 'clue' in GMs statement from the PJ officer which indicates to me that confusion had probably occurred over the doors - and where they were situated.

Quote
The side door leading to the living room was closed, which as previously stated, was never left locked.
Unquote.

What side door?   There are none.

The fact that confusion over the doors had previously occurred is mentioned by the UK police officer during JT's rogatory interview is also very pertinent IMO.

You have to factor in that in Gerry's mind at the time of his interview was that the claim of the unlocked patiodoors was purely for the use of Mathew to enable a 9.30 check without seeing what due to Tanner's sighting would have been an open bedroom window... that Smith sighting of Gerry has caused them no end of problems!

[Carana]

This is typical of conspiracy adepts. Would Mrs McCann confess she killed Madeleine unintentionally, you'll certain say that she was not in her right mind when she confessed.
 

As regards a confession, not necessarily. My opinion would depend on the totality of facts and circumstances.

Concerning potential errors, there are several reasons why I find mistakes in the original statement plausible.

- The inevitable chaos of that first morning;

- The urgent nature of getting the ball rolling as fast as possible to mobilise the search to actually find her. At that point, even if he had noticed what may have appeared to be minute accuracies, spending ages trying to correct them would have been less important than getting that ball rolling;

- The fact that I find it inconceivable that questions hadn't been asked about the layout of the apartment, even though they don't appear in the statement. A scribbled sketch or notes would have helped to make sense of what he was saying. There is therefore room to note that one door required a key to get in, the other was open and to simply get back and front doors mixed up when typing up the report.

- Personal experience, albeit in thankfully less dramatic circumstances. I'd had everything stolen, including photographic equipment and - more importantly - my passport. Despite the fact that a friend acted as an interpreter, I just assumed that the officer in a sleepy local police station had taken the details down accurately. I was in a rush, and when the document was presented to me, my friend pointed out the main details; I could decipher "passport" and the make of the gear and signed on the dotted line.

It wasn't until quite some time later, when I understood the language better and happened to stumble upon and read the statement for myself, that I realised that numerous (ultimately irrelevant) details bore no resemblance to what I had actually relayed to my friend. My friend spoke both languages fluently and had been with me at the time of the incident (unlike the interpreter on that first morning), so I doubt that the error came from that person.

[Carana]

Gerry's second statement -Despite what he said in his previous statements, he states now and with certainty, that he left with KATE through the back door which he consequently closed but did not lock, given that that is only possible from the inside. Concerning the front door, although he is certain that it was closed, it is unlikely that it was locked, because they left through the back door.

Not a translation error then!

I'm not sure what you are referring to. Closed versus locked? If you close a door but can open it without it a key, it is simply closed. If you need a key to open it from the outside, then it is locked. Apparently, the front door required a key to open it, therefore it could be considered as locked. However, if the concept of locking a door of this type is understood as dead-locking it, then there is also room for confusion depending on whether you simply shut it or used a key.

[pathfinder73]

You have to factor in that in Gerry's mind at the time of his interview was that the claim of the unlocked patio doors was purely for the use of Mathew to enable a 9.30 check without seeing what due to Tanner's sighting would have been an open bedroom window... that Smith sighting of Gerry has caused them no end of problems!

And Madeleine was seen wearing long sleeves and not short ones by the Smiths. 2 people know where Madeleine really is. Without a confession things are hard - maybe they should get tough and ask for a lie detector test for the tapas 9 and promote it in the media anyone who refuses to take one.

1. You changed that door position to promote an abductor didn't you? (starts scratching ear)

2. The patio door had to be unlocked at 9.30 because Madeleine had already been moved out of the apartment. Isn't that the truth?

3. You moved Madeleine out of the apartment on your check?

[Carana]

Another informative little titbit concerning the patio doors... when the preferred entry for the abductor was via the bedroom window, Gerry stated this -He mentions that they were seated at the table, in a position that allowed the deponent to see almost the entire back door of his apartment, through which they left and entered and which gave access to the living room.

On having to review their preferred means of entry for the abductor to the patio doors Kate states this -She makes a sketch of the table and says that both she and Gerry were not facing the apartments. Sketch attached.

Again, a verbatim record of the interview might have helped to clarify this. What did he actually say? "I", or "we"? Why would he have said "I", when all the other members of the group, plus the restaurant staff and the other guests could have given statements to contradict his own view of the apartment? If any of the group had looked up and had seen an unexpected shadowy figure entering via the veranda door, they would have alerted Kate and Gerry.

[Carana]

You have to factor in that in Gerry's mind at the time of his interview was that the claim of the unlocked patiodoors was purely for the use of Mathew to enable a 9.30 check without seeing what due to Tanner's sighting would have been an open bedroom window... that Smith sighting of Gerry has caused them no end of problems!

I'm not following your logic, I'm afraid.

[AnneGuedes]

It wasn't until quite some time later, when I understood the language better and happened to stumble upon and read the statement for myself, that I realised that numerous (ultimately irrelevant) details bore no resemblance to what I had actually relayed to my friend. My friend spoke both languages fluently and had been with me at the time of the incident (unlike the interpreter on that first morning), so I doubt that the error came from that person.

How are you sure that the officer who attended you in Portimao was the same who attended Mr McCann ?
Don't you think that a story about the disappearance of a child is heard more carefully in the details than the report about a stolen camera ? You got what you needed to go to the British Consulate and have a document to substitute your passport.

[Benice]

You have to factor in that in Gerry's mind at the time of his interview was that the claim of the unlocked patiodoors was purely for the use of Mathew to enable a 9.30 check without seeing what due to Tanner's sighting would have been an open bedroom window... that Smith sighting of Gerry has caused them no end of problems!

Sorry - I'm not sure what your point is.

You still have to explain why Gerry would choose to walk past the unlocked patio door - and take the much longer route to enter 5A - when he could just nip up the steps and be in 5A in seconds.    That makes no sense.

Why would he go the long way round?



 

[AnneGuedes]

Again, a verbatim record of the interview might have helped to clarify

There was none, the PJ needed practical informations to look better for an abducted child and not to frame staging parents (in spite of what conspiracy adepts believe).
Sempiternally come back on this topic is vain.
What is interesting and available is to compare statement 1 with statement 2 of the same person, more than each statement with reality. Statements have always errors, whether the witness is sincere or not.
It is a fact that Mr McCann said something in his first statement, and another in the second (after having concocted meanwhile with the group the third collective time line).
It is also interesting to compare Mr McCann's first statement with Mrs McCann's one, both ot them having been made in the presence of the same interpreter.
Insisting to attribute the discrepancies to that interpreter and the PO (who certainly understood what the witnesses said) is clearly an attempt to give credit to some conspiracy.

[VIXTE]

Sorry - I'm not sure what your point is.

You still have to explain why Gerry would choose to walk past the unlocked patio door - and take the much longer route to enter 5A - when he could just nip up the steps and be in 5A in seconds.    That makes no sense.

Why would he go the long way round?

Maybe he intended to just listen under the window and then needed a toilet or just changed his mind and wanted to 'see as well as listen'





 

[AnneGuedes]

Why would he go the long way round?

Perhaps simply because he forgot they had left the other French window open.

[AnneGuedes]

Gerry's second statement -Despite what he said in his previous statements, he states now and with certainty, that he left with KATE through the back door which he consequently closed but did not lock, given that that is only possible from the inside. Concerning the front door, although he is certain that it was closed, it is unlikely that it was locked, because they left through the back door.

Not a translation error then!

He couldn't "close" it, as one can close a door without locking it, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to enter again. He had to leave it slightly open.
Mr McCann misleadingly named that window-door a "back door" (porta das traseiras in Portuguese translation).