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

[sadie]

Now another anomaly in this sighting.  Peter Smith recorded the following in his police statement.

States further that when he passed the individual, the individual was coming down to his right, going around the deponent in the middle of the street. At that time the traffic was minimal or non-existent.

This is crystal clear, the unidentified man was coming down the left hand side of the road.  Martin Smith talks of walking up the middle of the road in his statement so the mystery man was forced to the left.

First point I want to make about this is that when Amaral did the reconstruction video they depicted the mystery man walking down the right hand side of the road - this was an error.

Secondly, referring to my other observation above, if the mystery man was walking down the left side of the road he had to move to his right for Aoife to have observed him on her left walking along the pavement.  For some reason the route taken by this man as he approached the intersection was determined by the unexpected appearance of the other members of the Smith family ending with Aoife appearing. I think mystery man took a circuitous route in order to avoid the last of the Smiths but didn't expect Aoife to pop up at the top of the steps.

It all sounds very suspicious from mystery mans point of view.

That is a good point John, but I do wonder if Aoife was already on that sticking out bit of pavement about to cross R 25 Abril, when she saw him on her left walking towards her.  If she was standing or walking at a point just under the 2 of Rua de 25 Abril in the google image, then he had room to pass her as he went down the steps.

However it is also the case that had he come down the right /middle of the Rua D'Escola, when he reached the junction he would still have been to her left (NW of her ) and he could have swung in an easterkly direction as she walked across the road, and he would have ben walking towards her

To be honest, we just dont know enough to judge whether he carried on, down the steps, in a southerly direction or whether he turned in a easterly direction along Rua 25 Abril towards Malinkas and the Church


Both directions lead to the little beach.... and other places.



Am off to bed now.  Mind is tired

Nigh Night

[pegasus]

we just dont know enough to judge whether he carried on, down the steps, in a southerly direction or whether he turned in a easterly direction along Rua 25 Abril ...

Agreed, and witness AS confirms this, she does not know whether he went south down the steps, or east.

Both directions lead to the little beach...

IMO if he goes south down the steps he may go to the small beach.
IMO if he goes east along Rua 25 Abril  it indicates strongly he does not go to the small beach (unless you have him walking through the Bull beer garden walking between the outside tables and down that path) 

[John]

The point I am trying to make is this. The  mystery man walked down the left hand side of Rua da Escola Primaria, if he was intending to go east along Rua 25 de Abril all he had to do was turn left around the corner. 

He didn't do that. He veered slightly right probably to avoid the Smith stragglers but encountered Aoife as he made to go down the steps.

The aerial view below depicts the direction mystery man was moving ie from bottom to top.

[pegasus]

... He veered slightly right probably to avoid the Smith stragglers but encountered Aoife as he made to go down the steps ...

Yes IMO it is most likely he went down the steps

[pathfinder73]

"when he passed this individual he was coming down the middle of the road, in the street" (Martin Smith)

"the individual was coming down to his right, going around the deponent in the middle of the street." (Peter Smith)

Coming down to his right is incorrect? He would have passed Peter to his left? And if he passed him to his right if Peter was in the middle of the street it looks like he was planning on turning left towards the church. If he was coming down the middle of the road when he passed Martin he would have been straight in front of Aoife when she got to the top of the steps? They need to be further questioned on their exact positions and where they saw the man. It doesn't add up from the locations here.  So he went passed Martin went right then turned back again. Something is not right.

[John]

What's right is actually wrong.  Those photos you have posted above are not in accordance with Martin and Peter's statements.  The PJ seem to have got this very wrong imo.

Martin was in the middle of the road and not as shown.  Peter was ahead of Martin and also towards the middle of the road which allowed mystery man to pass by on his right side.  Aoife was not tucked in at the corner as shown in the PJ photo.

Another point I picked up from the statements was that Aoife couldn't see the girls face as mystery man was holding her against his shoulder. However, both Martin and Peter describe her eyelids as being closed. For this to have happened mystery man must have passed on both Peter's and then Martin's right but on Aoife's left which is what happened.

[pathfinder73]

I'm surprised they haven't got the Smiths back there to do a reconstruction of the sighting. I can't see him going west then turning back to east again. It doesn't make sense  >@@(*&)

[Silkywhiskers]

I'm surprised they haven't got the Smiths back there to do a reconstruction of the sighting. I can't see him going west then turning back to east again. It doesn't make sense  >@@(*&)

Maybe they have.

I can see him zigzagging all over, myself.

He was not wanting to be seen.

Those narrow streets - you could hear people coming especially a group that is talking.

[John]

I'm surprised they haven't got the Smiths back there to do a reconstruction of the sighting. I can't see him going west then turning back to east again. It doesn't make sense  >@@(*&)

He did ever so slightly in order to avoid the stragglers. Unfortunately for him he didn't expect there to be nine of them and for Aoife to pop up just as he was about to make for the relative gloom of the steps.

The Smiths visit Praia da Luz several times a year, I would bet they have been interviewed again.

[Silkywhiskers]

He did ever so slightly in order to avoid the stragglers. Unfortunately for him he didn't expect there to be nine of them and for Aoife to pop up just as he was about to make for the relative gloom of the steps.

The Smiths visit Praia da Luz several times a year, I would bet they have been interviewed again.

Of course they have. :)

They aren't digging there based on anything else...are they....?

 >@@(*&)

There could even be other witnesses we've never heard about. 

Anything is possible, but what's certain is, the digs are not being undertaken quietly.

They expect to find something, and they want the world's media there for the event.

[pegasus]

The points "P" "M" and "A" in the photos mark where the man was when each of the 3 witnesses saw him.
That is what the captions indicate. And it is simplest to confirm for point "A", it matches her statement, when she emerged from the steps she saw him to her left, 2 metres away from her, on the southside pavement of Rua 21, walking east towards her. BTW the 3 witnesses are there in the photos, this was a competent diligence conducted by taking the 3 witnesses to the actual location. All IMO

[pathfinder73]

The points "P" "M" and "A" in the photos mark where the man was when each of the 3 witnesses saw him.
That is what the captions indicate. And it is simplest to confirm for point "A", it matches her statement, when she emerged from the steps she saw him to her left, 2 metres away from her, on the southside pavement of Rua 21, walking east towards her. BTW the 3 witnesses are there in the photos, this was a competent diligence conducted by taking the 3 witnesses to the actual location. All IMO

It doesn't match. If you read Peter's statement he says he was in the middle of the street when the man passed him to his right. From the location marker P he could only pass to his left.

[John]

The three positions P for Peter, M for Martin and A for Aoife all refer to different points in the timeline.  For example, when mystery man passed Peter, Martin was just entering Rua da Escola Primaria and Aoife was at the bottom of the steps.

Let's face it, either Peter and Martin don't know their left from their right or the PJ messed up.

[pegasus]

It doesn't match. If you read Peter's statement he says he was in the middle of the street when the man passed him to his right. From the location marker P he could only pass to his left.

There is pronoun ambiguity in the portuguese (the most original we have) and likewise in its unofficial translation back to english.
IMO in P's statement, when P passes X, P is in the middle of the road, and X is on the east side of the road (to P's right).
The labelled spot "P" in the photos marks where X was, when P passed him, IMO, and that is from reading the portuguese captions.

[John]

Have you noticed that the PJ who created those illustrations thinks that all tourists walk on the footpath at night.  Now that's so funny.