Does anyone know more about this sighting? Costa-del-Sol

[Robittybob1]

Always given it is possible to accurately assess scale in a photo or video. Other than a military effort taken specifically for the purpose.
I commend the techniques used in two "notorious" movies:
"Shane" in which Alan Ladd at 1.68m was shown to be taller than Jack Palance at 1.93m+
"Big Jim McClain" in which John Wayne at 1.93 (in his 100mm lifts) was made to look taller than James Arness at 2.01m.


eta.
The acid test with any scaling attempt on a photo is: "Will that finger go up that nostril".

Well that was my impression for they had that dumpy look about them.  OK it is all just impressions and I think that is clear. All opinion in the end.

[Alice Purjorick]

The more you talk this through, the less credible she begins to sound to me.

I rather incline to the view that half of Europe's population together with a fair number of non European transients were involved in this overall caper.
Not to mention the crew that made a guest appearance in The RedTops a while back. In Portugal somewhere but nobody knew they were there. The photos published depicted laptops, motor vehicles and iphones => access to money=> bank accounts plus phone contracts plus vehicle registrations plus IP addy's; but no one knew they were there?
Wanna buy a bridge? 

[Robittybob1]

Who tracked down Karsten Mayer to Berne?  Was it reporters or British Detectives?  Does detectives mean police or private detectives?

[misty]

It is possibly one of the most incredible events really.  She reported the sighting 6th May 2007.  Years  later she reported the sighting to the UK police who did a follow-up (2012?).  She has moved to PdL to live and possible now owns apartment 5A the apartment from where Madeleine went missing.

That is rather an amazing degree of involvement, if I haven't crossed my wires.  I must admit I'm still confused as to who tracked down Karsten Mayer to Berne.

The lady in question has not moved to Luz; she now lives in Scotland.
https://www.etsy.com/people/karensisson1

[sadie]

Given that Switzerland is not in the EU and Spain is how come the witness missed the kin great white oval with black "CH" on it stuck on the back of the vehicle ? [that is de riguer not to mention law].
Of course it's feasible they didn't bother with the niceties, well they were a hooky bunch weren't they? . So let's be unobtrusive and drive a vehicle with Swiss plates and no nationality markings through a foreign country.
What a good idea.

Perhaps they didn't see the back and wrote the number plate down from the front, not realizing that it was Swiss?

[slartibartfast]

It may have been hard for them to do secretly.  I don't know and I can't ask her ATM as I'm blocked.

Quelle surprise.

[slartibartfast]

It is possibly one of the most incredible events really.  She reported the sighting 6th May 2007.  Years  later she reported the sighting to the UK police who did a follow-up (2012?).  She has moved to PdL to live and possible now owns apartment 5A the apartment from where Madeleine went missing.

That is rather an amazing degree of involvement, if I haven't crossed my wires.  I must admit I'm still confused as to who tracked down Karsten Mayer to Berne.

It doesn’t say that, it says the press chased it up.

IMO a none story. If it was reported to the police the most like course would be that they turned up at the campsite and checked it up, were satisfied and left.

[Robittybob1]

It doesn’t say that, it says the press chased it up.

IMO a none story. If it was reported to the police the most like course would be that they turned up at the campsite and checked it up, were satisfied and left.

But that must be unusual for the press to follow these things up.

[Robittybob1]

It doesn’t say that, it says the press chased it up.

IMO a none story. If it was reported to the police the most like course would be that they turned up at the campsite and checked it up, were satisfied and left.

I found the reference again "* It has subsequently been reported that the ‘German’ couple spotted by Ms Sisson are Swiss.  Karsten Mayer was reportedly interviewed by police in Bern after telling Swiss media that the girl mistaken for Madeleine McCann was in fact his own daughter."
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/police-hunt-german-couple-with-out-of-it-girl-who-looked-like-madeleine-mccann-7722811.html

[Robittybob1]

I thought I try and look into the foreign language reports and translate them.  That was a good idea for it revealed new information.
http://www.bild.de/news/ausland/maddie-mccann/urlauber-familie-spanien-fall-maddie-24049614.bild.html

"TRACES LED TO SPANISH CAMPSITE
Fall Maddie: False suspicion against German family
 

Article by: ANDREAS TIMME published on
08.05.2012 - 19:06 clock
London / Fuengirola (Spain) - There was a glimmer of hope for little Maddie's parents: a witness had contacted the British police and stated that shortly after Maddie's disappearance she had seen a frightened blond girl in Spain - accompanied by a German holidaymaker family , But now it seems clear: the suspicion against the family is wrong!

Witness Karen Sisson was on holiday at a campsite near Fuengirola (near Málaga). On May 6, a German family arrived with a caravan, she said, according to the British "Sun". Numerous media, including BILD.de, had reported on the newly germinated hope.

SEARCH FOR MADDIE
CASE MADDIE
False suspicion against German family
A witness wants to have seen the missing Maddie together with a German holiday family. But the suspicion against the Germans is wrong!
Maddie's parents have not given up hope for
5 YEARS
Five years ago, little Maddie disappeared. Her parents hope to clear up the disappearance. "We will not rest until they find her."
The family had been a little girl wearing a pink T-shirt, shorts, and a beige hat and looking completely absent, the witness said. With her blond, straight hair, she was clearly different from the other two children, two curly-haired. "That was weird," says Karen Sisson in the Sun.

Meanwhile came out: It was the family of Karsten M. (41) - a German who lives in Switzerland. Karsten M. admitted after BILD information on Tuesday to have made in May 2007 with his family on the campsite holiday.


The girl who held witness Karen Sisson for Maddie was obviously Karsten M.'s own daughter. She is the same age as Maddie. According to M., the two other children with curly hair belonged to friends from Switzerland who were there for a visit.

Karsten M. remembers that the campsite was full of Maddie wanted posters. He himself remained there until May 18, 2007.

RIDDLE SOLVED BY CAR MARK


The riddle of a supposedly no longer existing license plates could now be solved. The British "Sun" reported by mistake, the Mercedes Vito of German tourists have a license plate with the placemark BE - Beckum worn in Westphalia - a 1974 already pulled out of circulation mark.

After BILD information, however, it was actually a Swiss plate - BE stands for Bern.

Madeleine McCann, known as Maddie, disappeared on May 3, 2007, just days before her fourth birthday from a resort on the Algarve coast in southern Portugal. She was vacationing there with her parents and two younger siblings. Kate and Gerry McCann have been looking for their daughter worldwide for five years and have never given up hope of finding her alive."

[Robittybob1]

Dropping any search for Karen Sisson and now looking just at Karsten Mayer or Meyer I got this article.

"'That wasn't Maddie... it was my daughter': Swiss father says he was mystery man seen driving blonde girl identical to Madeleine days after she vanished"

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2141774/Madeleine-McCann-sighting-Swiss-father-says-mystery-man-seen-driving-blonde-girl.html#ixzz56gCCMrcm

"'That wasn't Maddie... it was my daughter': Swiss father says he was mystery man seen driving blonde girl identical to Madeleine days after she vanished"

"We spent 12 days at the camping ground we journeyed further around Portugal. I don't think a kidnapper would have done that.

"I find these media reports about me unbelievable and am reporting to police immediately before I am arrested!'

CID officers in Bern say that he has already 'all but' been ruled out of enquiries."

Same information presented differently: https://www.euroweeklynews.com/news/on-euro-weekly-news/costa-del-sol-malaga/92470

[Robittybob1]

I'm not happy yet!
"CID officers in Bern say that he has already 'all but' been ruled out of enquiries"  I'm not happy just to have an all but ruled out situation. 
http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/press/61may12/M_09_05_2012.htm

[Brietta]

I'm not happy yet!
"CID officers in Bern say that he has already 'all but' been ruled out of enquiries"  I'm not happy just to have an all but ruled out situation. 
http://www.gerrymccannsblogs.co.uk/press/61may12/M_09_05_2012.htm

I think that in 2012 the Swiss police will have interviewed the family, checked paperwork such as birth certificates etc which cancelled that the child might have been Madeleine; but to make sure they might have taken a swab for DNA examination and were awaiting the result of that.
Just being efficient and ruling everything out, in my opinion.

[Carana]

But that must be unusual for the press to follow these things up.

Not at the time, Rob. As long as a paper could find the most tenuous of potential connections to be able to fit "Maddie" into a story, it would guarantee extra sales.

IMO, many were people who genuinely thought they may have spotted her; others may well have been out to make a quick buck.

The confusion over the license plate no doubt added a bit of intrigue.

[Brietta]

Not at the time, Rob. As long as a paper could find the most tenuous of potential connections to be able to fit "Maddie" into a story, it would guarantee extra sales.

IMO, many were people who genuinely thought they may have spotted her; others may well have been out to make a quick buck.

The confusion over the license plate no doubt added a bit of intrigue.

In my opinion people have a duty to report an incident which doesn't appear to be quite right to them if it involves a child and in particular if the child who caused the concern resembles a missing child.