The Smith sighting revisited.

[Mr Gray]

I would think that the vast majority of the uk public are unaware of the search for smithman...and on the continent even fewer are aware of the sighting

[misty]

I don't think that's quite right, Misty.

I think Martin Smith said about the man he saw that he wasn't wearing glasses, to emphasise that he wasn't Robert Murat who, of course, does ...

He [Martin Smith] cannot state if it was dark or lighter in tone. He did not wear glasses and had no beard or moustache. He did not notice any other relevant details partly due to the fact that the lighting was not very good.

10th August 2008

Irish Mail on Sunday

Drogheda businessman told police he saw Gerry McCann carrying a child towards the beach the day Maddie disappeared

*snip*
In the statement to Portuguese police on May 26th, the grandfather -who wears glasses but was not wearing them at the night in question - said he would not be able to identify the man he saw.

[TitoMuzzy]

I would think that the vast majority of the uk public are unaware of the search for smithman...and on the continent even fewer are aware of the sighting

Why so were the e-fits not shown to the wider world on receipt, rather than Scotland Yard publicising their presence on Crimewatch many years later ?

[Mr Gray]

Why so were the e-fits not shown to the wider world on receipt, rather than Scotland Yard publicising their presence on Crimewatch many years later ?

do you mean why didn't the PJ publicise them?....plus...how many people watch crimewatch

[stephen25000]

do you mean why didn't the PJ publicise them?....plus...how many people watch crimewatch

and how many years was that dave after them being produced ?

and more importantly NO ONE prevented the McCann's publishing them at the time, so why didn't they themselves ?

[misty]

do you mean why didn't the PJ publicise them?....plus...how many people watch crimewatch

You could also ask why the Smiths went blabbing to the press when all other witnesses were governed by the Judicial Secrecy laws in Portugal. After all, they were considered so important that the PJ flew them over secretly.

[Mr Gray]

The point is that despite the publication of the efit it is perfectly possible...in fact likely if smithman is European....that smithman is totally unaware of the interest in him

[ferryman]

10th August 2008

Irish Mail on Sunday

Drogheda businessman told police he saw Gerry McCann carrying a child towards the beach the day Maddie disappeared

*snip*
In the statement to Portuguese police on May 26th, the grandfather -who wears glasses but was not wearing them at the night in question - said he would not be able to identify the man he saw.

Well, that's interesting.

There's no question Martin Smith produced one of the e-fits, both of which are incredibly detailed.

I think I am more inclined to trust the police statement on this one, simply because the e-fit is so detailed.

(In fact, both are) ...

[misty]

*snip*

 Back in Ireland, the Smiths watch the news and learn of Jane's statement and the suspicions falling upon Murat.

- The father contacts the Irish police. He tells his story. The man he saw was NOT Murat. He knows Murat and it was not him.

- The father is almost certain that the girl he saw was Madeleine.
 
- The Smiths are secretly brought back to Portugal. On Saturday, 26 May, in Portimão, Smith and his two children are interviewed.

- Their testimony is credible, but given the lack of light in the area, they can't identify the man who was carrying the child.

- The described the way he walked and carried her; this image is strongly fixed in their memory.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are you discrediting the words of the investigation's coordinator? Chapter 8 - TTOTL.

[ferryman]

The Smiths were interviewed on 26 May ...

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARTIN_SMITH.htm

[Anna]

The Smiths are secretly brought back to Portugal. On Saturday, 26 May, in Portimão, Smith and his two children are interviewed.

- Their testimony is credible, but given the lack of light in the area, they can't identify the man who was carrying the child.

- The described the way he walked and carried her; this image is strongly fixed in their memory.

From G Amaral book
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id162.html

[ferryman]

The Smiths are secretly brought back to Portugal. On Saturday, 26 May, in Portimão, Smith and his two children are interviewed[/b].

- Their testimony is credible, but given the lack of light in the area, they can't identify the man who was carrying the child.

- The described the way he walked and carried her; this image is strongly fixed in their memory.

From G Amaral book
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id162.html

So Misty got it wrong after all!

Amaral gets everything wrong ...

[misty]

So Misty got it wrong after all!

Amaral gets everything wrong ...

Eh?
 Rewind........

[Eleanor]

I don't know if The Smiths were brought back secretly.  I only know that no one knew about it, or even should have done.  But with all that leaking going on then it is a bit surprising.
However Goncalo Amaral then wanted them back again in September.  Or was it October?

But it was a dead duck anyway.  The Smith's Testimony would never have stood up in Court for many reasons.  So no surprise that this idea was dropped after Goncalo Amaral was removed from the case.

[pathfinder73]

Exclusive Interview with Gonçalo Amaral 24 July 2008

How important is the Irish witness within the case?

He explained where he and his family had seen, at 10 p.m. on the 3rd of May, a man carrying a little girl. And it wasn't Murat. They did not see the face, but they described the athletic and clumsy manner in which he carried the child.

That was back in May.

When the McCanns returned to England, the witness, watching Gerry get off the plane and walking across the asphalt carrying his child, had a realization. By the manner in which he walked and the clumsy way that he carries the child, he is 70 to 80 percent certain that it was the person he saw that evening. Says he and say the other members of the family.

What did you do?

On the days before I left Portimão we were taking care of that trip to Portugal. Then, the hearing of that witness was requested through a liaison officer from the Irish police in Madrid, which took months. During that time, the witness was approached by persons that are connected to the McCanns' staff, I don’t know with what intention. They felt pressured. Later on, the hearing arrived and he maintains the probability of 70 to 80 percent that it was Gerry who carried the little girl towards the beach.

http://www.mccannfiles.com/id139.html