So where was Smithman going to that night?

[John]

All he had to do was to go south down the steps, travel a short distance and then turn right.

[Gadfly]

True, but SY are asking the question - where was he going that night?  They've started with Occam's razor logic - HOME!

I'm sure they're going to test his home all night story over the next few days to see if it holds up.

[faithlilly]

The way most people are going on about it, obviously he is the guilty one.

It would seem that way Slartibartfast though to be fair it's mainly Alfred and our shiny new member Gadfly pointing the finger.

[misty]

It would seem that way Slartibartfast though to be fair it's mainly Alfred and our shiny new member Gadfly pointing the finger.

The sniffer dogs didn't follow her scent, though, and the child the Smith family saw was uncovered.
So, either SM was not the abductor/carrier or the dogs were misled.

[pegasus]

The sniffer dogs didn't follow her scent, though, and the child the Smith family saw was uncovered.

Precisely.

[Mr Moderator]

Block called 4 Rua 25 de Abril on the right and a short distance further on by the large electric pole is where Aoife Smith met Smithman.

[sadie]

Aoife was almost under the tall lamp post on the left, when she saw smithman.  He came down the narrow Rua D'Escola which is hidden on this photo, but it is almost opposite the lampost.

We worked out that he either came down this road towards the Church.
ETA.  Malinkas apartment is en route to the Church, about 30 or so metres past Aoifes sighting.

..... or crossed the road towards Aoife and carried on down the steps in the general direction of the little beach / rocky cove.or sea front.

[faithlilly]

Aoife was almost under the tall lamp post on the left, when she saw smithman.  He came down the narrow Rua D'Escola which is hidden on this photo, but it is almost opposite the lampost.

We worked out that he either came down this road towards the Church

..... or crossed the road towards Aoife and carried on down the steps in the general direction of the little beach / rocky cove.or sea front.

Or in a westerly direction back towards shops ( talk of a shop being seached ), large municipal bins and the OC.

[Brietta]

The sniffer dogs didn't follow her scent, though, and the child the Smith family saw was uncovered.
So, either SM was not the abductor/carrier or the dogs were misled.

Were the GNR officers aware that there was a possible sighting of Madeleine on the route taken by the person seen by the Smith family which would have given them reason to visit the area on spec? 

That urban area is not mentioned in the files as being visited by the teams and the enclosed road might still have contained a scent more so than the open areas inspected after the redundant searches in the locale of the apartment. 

What was the timescale here?

The Smith’s returned to Ireland on the 9th May, at which time the GNR dogs were still deployed. 

An arrangement was made for the Smiths to return for statements to be taken this was done 26th May. 

Is there any evidence that the GNR dog teams were aware of the Smith family sighting and the locale where it occurred.

[sadie]

Or in a westerly direction back towards shops ( talk of a shop being seached ), large municipal bins and the OC.

He was NOT going west faith.  Proven before on this forum.  You are obfuscating.

If you are confused with your sense of direction and are really thinking he went East, towards the main shopping area ... then Smithman took an extraordinaraily strange route to get there. 

In my opinion that is not sensible at all Faith.


As for going towards OC.  O.C is spread widely over Praia de Luz

BUT

He certainly wasn't going in the direction of the part of OC where Madeleine vanished.  That is in a totally different direction.

It is due north of the end of Rua 25 de Abril and he was moving in an east south east direction.



Earlier on this forum, we worked out that
he was going easterly along Rua de 25 Abril  .... or
...  Southerly down the steps in the direction of the sea after Aoifes sighting.

If he was going easterly then it didn't make sense for him to go as far as the main shops or the Church.  There were easier, shorter mainly hidden alleyway routes.

If he was going easterly then it appears that he was going somewhere short of the main shopping area and the Church and Fortezela Restaurant.

I can only see three commercial "sort of shops" along there.

Was he going to one of these or was he going South down the steps towards the sea?   >@@(*&)

Or have I missed something?

[faithlilly]

He was NOT going west faith.  Proven before on this forum.  You are obfuscating.

If you are confused with your sense of direction and are really thinking he went East, towards the main shopping area ... then Smithman took an extraordinaraily strange route to get there. 

In my opinion that is not sensible at all Faith.


As for going towards OC.  O.C is spread widely over Praia de Luz

BUT

He certainly wasn't going in the direction of the part of OC where Madeleine vanished.  That is in a totally different direction.

It is due north of the end of Rua 25 de Abril and he was moving in an east south east direction.



Earlier on this forum, we worked out that
he was going easterly along Rua de 25 Abril  .... or
...  Southerly down the steps in the direction of the sea after Aoifes sighting.

If he was going easterly then it didn't make sense for him to go as far as the main shops or the Church.  There were easier, shorter mainly hidden alleyway routes.

If he was going easterly then it appears that he was going somewhere short of the main shopping area and the Church and Fortezela Restaurant.

I can only see three commercial "sort of shops" along there.

Was he going to one of these or was he going South down the steps towards the sea?   >@@(*&)

Or have I missed something?

Nothing has been proven sadie.

If he had turned west there are smaller shops on his route ( from memory amongst which is a newsagent, supermarket and a nick knack shop ) and eventually the OC. We walked this way to our apartment in the St Joseph complex ( a short walk from Estrela da Luz where the Smiths were staying ) and slightly further on you would come to the OC.

[pathfinder73]

The deponent remembers that upon reaching the top of the stairs, she looked to her left and saw a man (1) with a female child (2) in his arms, walking along the pavement of Rua 25 de Abril. He was walking in her direction at a distance of, give or take, two metres. (AS)

So Smithman crossed the road to the opposite pavement and was going down when Aoife got to the top of the stairs. So he passed behind her as she started crossing the road. I'm surprised SY haven't got the Smiths back to do a thorough reconstruction. I would do it.

[sadie]

Nothing has been proven sadie.

If he had turned west there are smaller shops on his route ( from memory amongst which is a newsagent, supermarket and a nick knack shop ) and eventually the OC. We walked this way to our apartment in the St Joseph complex ( a short walk from Estrela da Luz where the Smiths were staying ) and slightly further on you would come to the OC.

He was coming from  a westerly direction,  Faith.

You know that and all of us that have been on here for long enough know it too.

Aoife said it, in her statement.

[sadie]

The deponent remembers that upon reaching the top of the stairs, she looked to her left and saw a man (1) with a female child (2) in his arms, walking along the pavement of Rua 25 de Abril. He was walking in her direction at a distance of, give or take, two metres. (AS)

So Smithman crossed the road to the opposite pavement and was going down when Aoife got to the top of the stairs. So he passed behind her as she started crossing the road. I'm surprised SY haven't got the Smiths back to do a thorough reconstruction. I would do it.

Yes

She looked to her left and saw the deponent coming towards her.  She looked to HER LEFT.  In other words she looked West and he was coming towards her from that direction.

So he was coming FROM a westerly direction. 

[John]

The deponent remembers that upon reaching the top of the stairs, she looked to her left and saw a man (1) with a female child (2) in his arms, walking along the pavement of Rua 25 de Abril. He was walking in her direction at a distance of, give or take, two metres. (AS)

So Smithman crossed the road to the opposite pavement and was going down when Aoife got to the top of the stairs. So he passed behind her as she started crossing the road. I'm surprised SY haven't got the Smiths back to do a thorough reconstruction. I would do it.

Spot on.     Smithman was walking towards Aoife which means he was effectively walking in an easterly direction.  As Sadie states above, he either went down the steps which the Smiths had just come up or continued east towards the block of flats where coincidentally our pal Sergei lived.