A brief stroll today revealed the following.
Block 1 is lettered, not numbered. It goes from A on the east end of the ground floor to either U or Z at the west end on the top floor. (The last apartment does not display a label. The one next to it is either T or Y, but my eyesight is not up to telling the difference from the road.) Whatever, block 1 is out re McKenzie.
However, the cluster of apartments to the south of block six have the right numbers. There is certainly a 52, right next to 24 hour reception. Those immediately south of block 6 start around 26, and 29 and 31, the ones G-Unit has flagged, are at the east end. Entry is via the road behind block 6. The rear of these, particularly the end ones, overlook the garden with the palm tree.
Great, that definitely looks like the right spot - well done you
Back to the 'Irish sighting'.
My guess about block 6 numbering was wrong. The 3 flats on west side, the little leg of the L, the ones opposite 5A are numbered 5, 9 and 12. (Quite how they manage this I don't know.)
Block 6 is at a slight angle to block 5. From the public balconies around the eastern stairwell (the one further from 5A), you get a surprisingly good view of the front of 5A, enough to monitor people coming and going. You cannot see the front of other ground floor apartments, nor the central stairwell access. You can see most of the car park. You cannot see the side of 5A. You cannot see the rear of 5A. You cannot see the Gerry/Jes meeting point. And you cannot see anything of the Tapas area.
In brief, this does not fit with the 'Irish sighting'.
The public balconies from the western stairwell, those opposite 5A, give a view that extends nearly to the Tapas entrance. It is possible to see this by leaning out a bit. There is an excellent view of the rear. This includes the gate, the steps and the patio. Technically, you can't see the patio doors. You can see through all of the windows on that side (assuming shutters open and curtains open). Although you can see the car park entrance and a fair slice of the car park (run a diagonal from the corner of block 5 at the 5A end to the opposite side of the car park and that is roughly correct), you cannot see the front of block 5 at all. Nothing, not the opening from car park to central stairwell or any of the pedestrian passage along the front of the ground floor apartments.
So, great for monitoring the McCanns at the rear, good for seeing Gerry and Jes, but you would have to know Oldfield and O'Brien to be able to work out what was going on at the front.
As a matter of interest, does anyone have a source for this 'Irish sighting' other than Anorak? This should have run through several newspapers.
Could I ask another question? I have often wondered about a statement relating to block 6. The witness says her boyfriend's sister lives in apartment 5, on the ground floor facing G5A.
On 3rd May she and her boyfriend left his sister's apartment at 10pm.
After leaving Block 6, they turned right and after left, passing in front of the block occupied by the McCanns. She states that she saw no movement of people, and that in the immediate areas of the blocks she saw no vehicle with the exception of a small car, that appeared to her grey in colour, parked close to the window of the McCann apartment;
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARIA-M-M-DE-SILVA.htmThere was some discussion about the 'front' and 'back' of Block 5 when the rogatory statements were taken. This witness must be referring to the front of Block 6 as the area to the south, opposite the Tapas entrance. Otherwise they wouldn't have passed the McCanns apartment if they went right then left. Do you agree? Interestingly they saw nothing at 10pm.
