Was Mr Smiths claim just pie in the sky after all?

[John]

Police photos showing the positions of Aoife, Martin and Peter Smith during the encounter with Smithman.  I would say 12-year-old Aoife got the best look at him.

[sadie]

There dont seem to be any lights up there, do there?

My bet is that they carried torches; they had a fair walk.

[icabodcrane]

There dont seem to be any lights up there, do there?

My bet is that they carried torches; they had a fair walk.

What  ?  ... who  'carried torches'  ...  the Smith family  ? 

[pegasus]

To check locations of street lights use google street view. The irish witnesses were not using torches.

[sadie]

To check locations of street lights use google street view. The irish witnesses were not using torches.

There certainly are now, but were there in 2007 ?

The narrow lower part, between buildings seems not have any, but the rest does.


Street map date appears to be 2013 or 2014 (both dates given)

[Anna]

There certainly are now, but were there in 2007 ?

The narrow lower part, between buildings seems not have any, but the rest does.


Street map date appears to be 2013 or 2014 (both dates given)

I think they had some lights fixed .Well they did outside of 5A because a previous holidaymaker said it was very dark and the lamp was hanging. Later after, it was said to be quite bright. Anyway, I always carried a small torch in my bag in case I was attacked...........................and I could poke him in the eye with it
 Joking apart though, I really did carry a small torch.

[Angelo222]

Carrying a torch isn't really relevant since they wouldn't have shone it in the guys face.   At least I hope they didn't.   

The street light at the junction appears to be at the top of the steps the Smiths walked up from the pub.  It also appears to be rather bright and the same type as that fitted further up the street as shown in the pic below.

[Angelo222]

You can see the street light lantern just to the left of the telegraph pole which is itself just to the left of the steps.

This is the view Smithman would have had (albeit at night) as he made for the steps, passing Martin Smith stood on the footpath to the right before reaching Aoife Smith who was just coming up the steps.





Closer view showing steps (centre) and large telegraph pole just left of them.

This is where Smithman passed Aoife Smith.

[sadie]

Carrying a torch isn't really relevant since they wouldn't have shone it in the guys face.   At least I hope they didn't.   

The street light at the junction appears to be at the top of the steps the Smiths walked up from the pub.  It also appears to be rather bright and the same type as that fitted further up the street as shown in the pic below.

Strange that your image should show a lamp there on the corner of the building and at the road junction,  because there isn't one on the corner of the building on my GEarth street scene.  There is on the opposite side of the steps to the one showing in your photo, but of a totally different type..  It is getting on for three metres away and possibly 2 metres higher, being situated on the top of the tall telegraph pole, one designed to illuminate the whole crossing area, I think.

Now was it like my GEarth image or was it like your image Angelo?  We dont know, do we?

I dont think it is a sodium light.  I think it is a normal, but powerful floodlight type white lamp .... a bit like the one in Pat Browns photo of the back of 5A.


With any possible torches, I agree, but some periferal light would catch Smithmans face, unless it was a pencil beam torch. 

Martin and Aofie at the road junction would have had quite good light and it seems from the photo posted earlier that that light was multi chromatic [showed colours] rather than monchromatic [[shades of greys, whites and blacks].  The monchromatic lights near OC were sodium, IIRC and that would cast  a nasty orangy yellow glow over everything, but there would be no other colours .... just shades of white, grey and black orange tinted.

So Aofie and Martin would have quite good light, whilst Peters would have been monochromatis it seems, with an orange glow.   No lights between the two lamps mentioned that I can see.

[sadie]

In the first photo, you can see the street light lantern just to the left of the telegraph pole to the left of the image, which is itself just to the left of the steps.

This is the view Smithman would have had (albeit at night) as he made for the steps, passing Martin Smith stood on the footpath to the right before reaching Aoife Smith who was just coming up the steps.





Closer view showing steps (centre) and large telegraph pole just left of them.

This is where Smithman passed Aoife Smith.

Yep, the top photo shows it fairly clearly.  The big ?white street lamp is on the top of the concrete telegraph pole and NOT on the corner of the building to the right of the steps, as it appears to be in the night scene.

In the lower picture the upright post to the right of the steps is just the bottom of a street sign.

Aofie was coming up the steps immediately to the right of the telegraph pole / steet lamp and by the time Smithman reached the road junction , she was already coming across the pavement towards him.  The pavement there is built right out, narrowing the road to one cars width and we dont know if Aofie had reached the roadside edge of the pavement or not.  IIRC, she describes Smithman as being on her left and coming towards her.

What we dont know is ... was she saying that he was crossing her on her ledft to pass her and go down the steps,

or,

was she saying that he was coming from her left and he passed in front of her going down Rua 25 Abril, towards Malinkas and The Church.  As the junction is dog-legged and road [Rua 25 Abril] is only one car wide, cos of the built out pavement at that point, it could have been either.


So the long and the short of it is, Smithman was either going South down the steps or east towards The Church.  At that stage, he wasn't going west.

I bet SY know which way Smithman was going tho ... and that is what matters.

[John]

Daytime view showing the street lamp.

[John]

Sadie, I see what you mean about that other light up on the building corner beside the steps.  If you zoom in you will see there is something there.

[Mr Moderator]

I would hazard a guess that the little lamp shown on the original photos and mounted on the corner of the wall of that building beside the steps has been replaced since 2007 by the larger one on the telegraph pole.  The base of the original lamp can still be seen on the photo above.

[sadie]

I would hazard a guess that the little lamp shown on the original photos and mounted on the corner of the wall of that building beside the steps has been replaced since 2007 by the larger one on the telegraph pole.  The base of the original lamp can still be seen on the photo above.

We just dont know when It was changed really, do we Mr M ?  There is no date on Angelos photo even

I dont think I can see the base, but I can see cables that might have gone to it.  Might.


But in any case, if this is about the colour of the ?navy? slacks worn by Smithman, any passing vehicle may have illuminated them ... as may lights shining from nearby buildings or torches.  We just dont know.

Do we?

[pegasus]

If the man went on the lane with steps all the way to Calheta Rd he would be visible from the dining area of Dolphin restaurant which was probably still open?