The Tapas Note.

[Benice]

Matt does not say he went inside Russell's apartment, so the shortest route is via the alleyway between block 4 and 5 and then along the alleyway leading to the road.  That is the route I think he meant by the shortest route.  There is no need to intrude into an apartment that has a sick kid in it.

But Russell does:

Quote from Russells ROG.
 I went into the apartment and Matt went into his.  I went to the toilet to urinate and then started to clean up Evie and change her, Matt came into my apartment and asked if I needed any help.  It was getting darker by this time.  I said to go back and tell Jane that Evie was unwell.
unquote.

[Robittybob1]

But Russell does:

Quote from Russells ROG.
 I went into the apartment and Matt went into his.  I went to the toilet to urinate and then started to clean up Evie and change her, Matt came into my apartment and asked if I needed any help.  It was getting darker by this time.  I said to go back and tell Jane that Evie was unwell.
unquote.

So he "came in".   Do you imagine that was after knocking on the door or was the front door left agar so Matt could just walk right in? 

[sadie]

There's being kind and there's being used. If I was checking someone else's kids when I checked mine I would expect them to do the same for me.

Saying the patio door was open to allow colleagues to enter is an inadequate explanation anyway, because they didn't. Russell said he did on Sunday, but Gerry said it was locked that evening. So was it unlocked Monday to Thursday to allow Matthew to go in once?

So simple for the rest of the group to check 5A, with an ear at the window, cos it was just a few steps further along the walled walkway that they all had to walk along to get to their flats.  Virtually on route for all of them.  The Mccanns on the other hand were using the rear patio entrance which was convenient and well lit. 

From the rear they, The Mccanns, could not readily check the other flats, cos first there was a dark alleyway then for each flat an individual  gate, dark garden to cross and unlit steps up to each back door .    And it seems the kids bedrooms were on the front of the building anyhow.

[sadie]

Yet if true there are some who would like us to believe that a window was used in spiriting Madeleine out when this door was unlocked and perfectly serviceable.

BUT illuminated by the street lamp outside and overlooked by the tapas group of friends from 50 metres.

Amaral claimed that no perp would go in via the patio door because of this.

[sadie]

Matt does not say he went inside Russell's apartment, so the shortest route is via the alleyway between block 4 and 5 and then along the alleyway leading to the road.  That is the route I think he meant by the shortest route.  There is no need to intrude into an apartment that has a sick kid in it.

Sorry Rob but I think that you have your distances wrong.

I did some rough measurements on GE from Russells flat to the gate at the bottom of the steps up to 5A.

-  From the back of Russells apartment via his garden and the rear pathway, I made the distance about 38 metres.
-  From the front of Russells apartment, via the route you are suggesting , I made the distance about 98 metres.

and
-  From the front of Russells apartment via the normal route, I made the distance about 45 metres


So the shortest route was as Benice suggests, via Russells apartment and the back pathway. 

Matt going into Russells apartment is confirmed in Russells statement. 
Matt also confirms this in his statement with  (quote) He clarifies that Russell's daughter was ill, with vomiting. (unquote)

[sadie]

Unless someone can come up with a credible reason WHY anyone would lie about the patio doors being unlocked - then everything we do know about the subject indicates that they were unlocked as claimed.

What would be the point of  devising a 'cunning plan' to lie about the patio doors.  What was that supposed to achieve?

If Matt checked the McCann children via their front door  which was next door to his own front door  - then surely he would have done that before he went to Russell's apartment?

AIMHO

Soz Benice, but although the two flats abutted each other, the front doors were not immediately next to each other.  If you were to think of two semis with front doors on the sides, then it was a bit like that .   The Mccanns front door was very deeply recessed and faced North.  Matts front door was from a hallway and it actually faced West .... and the two flats were not quite, but almost, between the front doors.

I am making a pigs ear of this, soz:
but what I am trying to say is that it was impossible to see the Mccann front door from the Oldfield front door and it was a fair distance between them

[sadie]

Unless someone can come up with a credible reason WHY anyone would lie about the patio doors being unlocked - then everything we do know about the subject indicates that they were unlocked as claimed.

What would be the point of  devising a 'cunning plan' to lie about the patio doors.  What was that supposed to achieve?

If Matt checked the McCann children via their front door  which was next door to his own front door  - then surely he would have done that before he went to Russell's apartment?

AIMHO

Exactly, why on earth would they want to lie about this.  It doesn't make sense.

[sadie]

I would rate Luz as extremely safe, much safer than the UK.

However, we still take basic safety measures.  We security-lock our front door.  We don't leave our car open, or with a key in it.  We have a ring of family and friends we can telephone for rapid support.  We know how to summon the GNR and the bombeiros, and we know we have never had any language barrier.

Our 'new' home is already occupied by our children and grandchildren, one aged 6, another approaching 2.  There is a large patio in their part of the house which has the exact same type of balcony as 5A, and it has a 1 storey drop below (on to a hard surface).  This was deemed to be climbable, therefore not safe enough.  The builder was asked to alter it to make it secure.  The safety fence is 1.8m high.

Please don't get me wrong.  I am not saying Portugal (or Luz) is perfect.  I have just written on my blog the third instalment about the forest fire near Pedrógão Grande.  The good news is the fire is out.  The bad news is those evacuated are returning home to find thefts and burglaries.  There are jackals and vultures everywhere.

Thank you SIL

[Eleanor]

Exactly, why on earth would they want to lie about this.  It doesn't make sense.

None of the theories against The McCann make sense, Sadie.  But there you go.  Logic doesn't seem to be a strong point with some people.

[sadie]

Why did Russell claim he did go to the McCann's, I wonder? Why would Gerry's colleagues check his kids when he and his wife never returned the favour?

On Sunday I recall I checked Kate and Gerry’s apartment as well as Rachael and Matt’s. I had taken Matt’s keys and I believe that their door was deadlocked the same as ours and that I would have needed to turn the key two times.  We kept our shutters down, and the patio door was closed I am not sure whether theirs was the same.  I recall that Kate and Gerry’s apartment was accessed by the patios door which was left closed and unlocked.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/RUSSELL-OBRIEN_ROGATORY.htm

I have just explained the probable reason for this in another thread.   But briefly:

All the tapas group except the Mccanns chose to use their front doors to check their children.  to get to their front doors they all had to walk along a walled pathway which had Madeleines bedroom [and the front door to 5A] at its end.  To check / listen at Madeleines bedroom involved just about three steps beyond the window where the checker had to listen at the Oldfields flat.  A ten second job.


The Mccanns, on the other hand, could enter by a well lit and close Patio door rather than negotiate the darkness of the rear alleyway, back gardens and steps up ... that the others would have had to have done.  Who amongst them would have left their patio door unlocked in such a dark position anyway, so the friends were forced to make the longer walk.

So The M<ccanns had this shorter walk and unlike the others never passed along the walled walkway at the front to check for crying at the windows of the friends children.  Plenty were checking, so it semed they were well covered anyway


All IMO,, but it makes sense.

[Eleanor]

I do think that you have to stop saying that you could be wrong.  We all know that you could be.  But then so could I.  Except that I have never given my theory.  And nor will I.

You are a brave person, Sadie.

[sadie]

I do think that you have to stop saying that you could be wrong.  We all know that you could be.  But then so could I.  Except that I have never given my theory.  And nor will I.

You are a brave person, Sadie.

Thank you Eleanor

But, I have only given minor theories

I haven't given my main theory.  That is with Operation Grange

[John]

Unless someone can come up with a credible reason WHY anyone would lie about the patio doors being unlocked - then everything we do know about the subject indicates that they were unlocked as claimed.

What would be the point of  devising a 'cunning plan' to lie about the patio doors.  What was that supposed to achieve?

If Matt checked the McCann children via their front door  which was next door to his own front door  - then surely he would have done that before he went to Russell's apartment?

AIMHO

It's all very simple really, all the parent's claimed initially that they used the front door to access the apartments and kept the patio doors locked.  You see it wouldn't have looked terribly good if any of them had admitted to leaving their apartments unsecured especially when a child had disappeared.  Unfortunately for one set of parent's however they forgot to mention that they had left their keys to the front door on the kitchen counter so it was impossible that they used the front door.  Oops, a mere oversight allegedly and not the big whopping lie that some suspect.

[Robittybob1]

Sorry Rob but I think that you have your distances wrong.

I did some rough measurements on GE from Russells flat to the gate at the bottom of the steps up to 5A.

-  From the back of Russells apartment via his garden and the rear pathway, I made the distance about 38 metres.
-  From the front of Russells apartment, via the route you are suggesting , I made the distance about 98 metres.

and
-  From the front of Russells apartment via the normal route, I made the distance about 45 metres


So the shortest route was as Benice suggests, via Russells apartment and the back pathway. 

Matt going into Russells apartment is confirmed in Russells statement. 
Matt also confirms this in his statement with  (quote) He clarifies that Russell's daughter was ill, with vomiting. (unquote)

John were you measuring from Russell's front door? You are right in that it is longer to take the alleyway rather than the car park and the footpaths.

[misty]

It's all very simple really, all the parent's claimed initially that they used the front door to access the apartments and kept the patio doors locked.  You see it wouldn't have looked terribly good if any of them had admitted to leaving their apartments unsecured especially when a child had disappeared.  Unfortunately for one set of parent's however they forgot to mention that they had left their keys to the front door on the kitchen counter so it was impossible that they used the front door.  Oops, a mere oversight allegedly and not the big whopping lie that some suspect.

I presume you have a cite other than Amaral saying Control Risks told him that?