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

[pathfinder73]

Examining the possibility this was an innocent father with his daughter, the following may be deduced:
1. From what M.Smith says (as quoted above from pathfinder's post) the man was not conversant in the foreign language (English) he was addressed in.
2. He therefore did not work in a job involving extensive talking with foreigners.
3. He most likely lived a short distance down T.d.E or in a very nearby road off that one.
4. There was no off-road parking and scarce on-street parking at residence.
5. He was likely to park vehicle on or next to R.d.E.P just N of the narrow bit.
IMO if the PJ/UK police team had just after 26 May 2007 done a doortodoor survey of the relevant very small area they might have located this what was JIMO an innocent father and child. 

  I don't think so.

[pegasus]

Awaiting any poster who can find a single case any country any year where the perp carried the body unconcealed (no bag/car/trolley/etc) through the streets?
I will put the kettle on, might be a long wait.

[pathfinder73]

The body wasn't carried away from the crime scene. It was already moved and later picked up by Smithman. It would be sensible to use a bag to conceal the body in order to get it away from the crime scene. You wouldn't leave your bag with the body of course. Body in bag to hiding place. Bag brought away. Alarm raised chaos ensues. One runs to hiding place towards wasteland area retrieves body and passes the Smith family.

[pegasus]

The body wasn't carried away from the crime scene. It was already moved and later picked up by Smithman. It would be sensible to use a bag to conceal the body in order to get it away from the crime scene. You wouldn't leave your bag with the body of course. Body in bag to hiding place. Bag brought away. Alarm raised chaos ensues. One runs to hiding place towards wasteland area retrieves body and passes the Smith family.

You have as part of your hypothesis a body being carried unconcealed (no bag/car/trolley/etc) through the streets.
What I am suggesting is that this part of your hypothesis has no precedent anywhere.
It doesn't make it absolutely impossible, but it is a challenge, can you find a precedent?

[pathfinder73]

You have as part of your hypothesis a body being carried unconcealed (no bag/car/trolley/etc) through the streets.
What I am suggesting is that this part of your hypothesis has no precedent anywhere.
It doesn't make it absolutely impossible, but it is a challenge, can you find a precedent?

No I can't but time constraint is an important factor that you have to consider. Do you risk moving and hiding the body in the daylight before you leave the apartment or do you wait until it's dark and less people about i.e. what was the alibi? All having dinner together at the tapas bar. On one check Madeleine was moved but due to time constraint she was moved only so far to a temporary hiding place. She had to be away from the crime scene when the alarm was raised. The wasteland area is the closest and most obvious hiding place especially when the prime suspect was seen coming from that direction.

[icabodcrane]

You have as part of your hypothesis a body being carried unconcealed (no bag/car/trolley/etc) through the streets.
What I am suggesting is that this part of your hypothesis has no precedent anywhere.
It doesn't make it absolutely impossible, but it is a challenge, can you find a precedent?

What do you mean pegasus  ?

Are you saying that unless a crime was committed in the same way previously then  it can't have happened this time  ? 

What if this case IS  precedential 

...  that is  possible, isn't it  ?

How do you think ''precedents' happen  ? 

[John]

Some observations.

The Smiths make no mention of the child being covered in a blanket contrary to Tanner's observation.

The man the Smiths saw was walking down the left hand side of the road and moved to the right after encoutering Peter. For some reason he veered right and when he thought the coast was clear he resumed an eastward tack only to nearly bump into Aoife who had just come up the steps. This was much more than just avoiding other pedestrians, this was a concerted attempt to avoid being seen too closely under the street light which is located at the top of the steps.

Amaral put notices in the local papers asking residents who were out carrying a
child at about 10 pm on the night of Thursday 3rd May to come forward...none did!

[Brietta]

Some observations.

The Smiths make no mention of the child being covered in a blanket contrary to Tanner's observation.

The man the Smiths saw was walking down the left hand side of the road and moved to the right after encoutering Peter. For some reason he veered right and when he thought the coast was clear he resumed an eastward tack only to nearly bump into Aoife who had just come up the steps. This was much more than just avoiding other pedestrians, this was a concerted attempt to avoid being seen too closely under the street light which is located at the top of the steps.

Amaral put notices in the local papers asking residents who were out carrying a
child at about 10 pm on the night of Thursday 3rd May to come forward...none did!

Jane Tanner did not see a blanket, John, in her statement she is quite specific about it.

 - Meanwhile a man appeared ( * ) carrying a child (**), with a hurried walk, it being this detail together with the fact that the child dressed in pyjamas, without being wrapped up in a blanket, that caught her attention.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/JANE-TANNER.htm

[Alfred R Jones]

The body wasn't carried away from the crime scene. It was already moved and later picked up by Smithman. It would be sensible to use a bag to conceal the body in order to get it away from the crime scene. You wouldn't leave your bag with the body of course. Body in bag to hiding place. Bag brought away. Alarm raised chaos ensues. One runs to hiding place towards wasteland area retrieves body and passes the Smith family.

When you put it like that it all seems highly implausible doesn't it?

[pegasus]

... Amaral put notices in the local papers asking residents who were out carrying a
child at about 10 pm on the night of Thursday 3rd May to come forward...none did!

Interesting. A sensible thing to do. Is from his book, or from an interview?

[pegasus]

If in dozens of past cases of a certain category the perp did a certain action, then when a new case needs to be solved, a criminal analyst may look at the earlier many cases and say: from the statistics we deduce there is a high probability the perp in this case will have done the same action.

[jassi]

If in dozens of past cases of a certain category the perp did a certain action, then when a new case needs to be solved, a criminal analyst may look at the earlier many cases and say: from the statistics we deduce there is a high probability the perp in this case will have done the same action.

Not much use if one is not dealing with a serial offender.
 This case would appear to be a one off.

[misty]

Has it escaped everyone's attention that Jose Mourinho used his laundry cart trick only a matter of days before Madeleine went missing?  Madeleine could have been whisked out of the apartment, up the stairs & into a cart in a matter of seconds. It's so simple, while everyone argues over the dodging & weaving of non-existene Smithman.
How does that apartment join to the next block along- is the corridor continuous?

[pegasus]

Not much use if one is not dealing with a serial offender.
 This case would appear to be a one off.

A one-off perp, finding himself suddenly with the same urgent dilemma as 100 other one-off perps in previous cases of the same type, will tend to make the same decisions as most or all of the previous perps.

Example: shoplifters of small-items, if all 100 previous perps decided on concealed transportation (in a bag or hidden in or under something) of their shoplifted items out the door and in the carpark or street outside, it is highly likely one-off perp #101 will also.

[jassi]

Has it escaped everyone's attention that Jose Mourinho used his laundry cart trick only a matter of days before Madeleine went missing?  Madeleine could have been whisked out of the apartment, up the stairs & into a cart in a matter of seconds. It's so simple, while everyone argues over the dodging & weaving of non-existene Smithman.
How does that apartment join to the next block along- is the corridor continuous?

Are you saying that Smithman didn't exist?