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

[jassi]

That would be the Spanish police, I believe, not the Portuguese.

[slartibartfast]

She did report it to the police in 2007.

I know, jeez.

[Robittybob1]

Are you still thinking there is reason to doubt this family? In my opinion there never was any reason for anyone to point the finger at them. This woman thought there might be and told the police. That was all she could or should have done imo.

Speaking to the press is never a good idea in my opinion. It may be flattering, but people should think about what they're doing. Karen Sisson was accusing a couple of kidnapping a child without any concrete reason whatsoever. The result was a story which was repeated across Europe naming this innocent family, thanks to the Olive Press digging around, also without any evidence.

The family were eliminated but they were never involved in the first place, except in the mind of someone who was 'looking for Madeleine'.

I spent hours copying all the articles into one long document and now I was going through it looking for evidence and it has allowed me to focus more on what is being said rather that the chaos of hitting a link and translating it etc and I'm finding new bits in it.
I am looking at the incident and thinking how should this be signed off?  I think this is why I am not happy when they say: he is 'all but' cleared.  They should have said "he is cleared".  Problem is how can he clear all suspicion for something that happened 5 years earlier.  What evidence could he present to clear himself?  Maybe there were no photos of them at the holiday park or the photos might have got lost.

[Robittybob1]

She did report it to the police in 2007.

But what they did was not made clear to Karen so she worries about the incident. and as the years go by tries to solve it herself with the help of the Olive Press reporters.  I see in their article they asked for more information from the public.  "Did you stay at that campsite in 2007? Can you help locate Karsten Meyer? Please contact jon@theolivepress.es or wendy@theolivepress.es"

[G-Unit]

In my opinion ... no-one "pointer the finger" at anyone.  In the aftermath of the disappearance of a little blonde girl a witness noticed a little blonde girl in circumstances that seemed odd to her and within easy travel from the point of disappearance.

Years down the line it was discovered the little girl seen by the witness was not Madeleine.  But what if it had been?

The witness played her part in reporting something she found suspicious ... do you suggest she should have ignored it? ... so much for amber warnings and golden hours eh?

I already said she should have reported it. My opinion is that having done that she and the Olive Press then took an indefensible step. They circumvented the authorities and pointed the finger at an innocent family;

Intriguingly The Olive Press has now managed to locate details of a German family – under the name ‘Karsten Meyer’ – who did indeed check into the Cabopino campsite, near Fuengirola, three days after Maddie disappeared.
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2012/05/08/did-german-couple-snatch-maddie-mccann/

I think the woman shouldn't have spoken to the press and the press definitely shouldn't have printed someone's name on the basis of what was no more than one woman's opinion. If the family did have Madeleine the publicity warned them and gave them time to disappear. Not the best way to set about finding the child in my opinion.

[jassi]

I spent hours copying all the articles into one long document and now I was going through it looking for evidence and it has allowed me to focus more on what is being said rather that the chaos of hitting a link and translating it etc and I'm finding new bits in it.
I am looking at the incident and thinking how should this be signed off?  I think this is why I am not happy when they say: he is 'all but' cleared.  They should have said "he is cleared".  Problem is how can he clear all suspicion for something that happened 5 years earlier.  What evidence could he present to clear himself?  Maybe there were no photos of them at the holiday park or the photos might have got lost.

I think you are looking at this the wrong way round.
It's not  necessary for him to provide evidence. It is for the police to find evidence that would incriminate. It would appear they haven't been able to do this.
Have you found what action the Spanish police took in 2007?

[faithlilly]

Amaral's second in command Ricardo Paiva continued in that vein from the archiving of Madeleine's case in 2008 until it was discovered that was what he was doing in 2010.

http://miscarriageofjustice.co/index.php?topic=4962.msg176347#msg176347

So there is irrefutable evidence that one particular section of the PJ personnel were systematically ignoring or suppressing evidence submitted to them whenever they were in the position to do so.

Irrefutable? An unsubstantiated claim in a British newspaper. Hardly irrefutable.

[Robittybob1]

I think you are looking at this the wrong way round.
It's not  necessary for him to provide evidence. It is for the police to find evidence that would incriminate. It would appear they haven't been able to do this.
Have you found what action the Spanish police took in 2007?

Wouldn't that be even worse for him, for then they might give him the treatment like the PJ did to Robert Murat. 
No there is no mention of what the Spanish police did.
If I was innocent in that situation I think I would have given all the proof I had, but then I hardly bother with photos either. So I'd be stuck.  Could a 4 year old remember the holiday?

[G-Unit]

But what they did was not made clear to Karen so she worries about the incident. and as the years go by tries to solve it herself with the help of the Olive Press reporters.  I see in their article they asked for more information from the public.  "Did you stay at that campsite in 2007? Can you help locate Karsten Meyer? Please contact jon@theolivepress.es or wendy@theolivepress.es"

A woman reports a suspicion to, I believe, the Spanish and Gibraltarian police and to Crimestoppers. If she was very concerned she could have contacted each of them and asked what had been done. Did she do that?

[Robittybob1]

A woman reports a suspicion to, I believe, the Spanish and Gibraltarian police and to Crimestoppers. If she was very concerned she could have contacted each of them and asked what had been done. Did she do that?

I travelled to Italy with a friend and she had travelled often, but when we were in Italy she would warn me "not to even look at the police officers".  If Karen had the same paranoia maybe the thought of checking up on them is just too much. 

[jassi]

Wouldn't that be even worse for him, for then they might give him the treatment like the PJ did to Robert Murat. 
No there is no mention of what the Spanish police did.
If I was innocent in that situation I think I would have given all the proof I had, but then I hardly bother with photos either. So I'd be stuck.  Could a 4 year old remember the holiday?

I think that is fortunate for all that you are not an investigating officer.
This is so clearly a red herring created by someone with a Madeleine fixation - IMO

[G-Unit]

I travelled to Italy with a friend and she had travelled often, but when we were in Italy she would warn me "not to even look at the police officers".  If Karen had the same paranoia maybe the thought of checking up on them is just too much.

Speculation is easy; perhaps she reported it then forgot all about it until she made that comment under the other non-story in the Olive Press? The correct answer when invited to contact the journalist was 'No thank you' in my opinion. Instead another witch hunt began.

[Miss Taken Identity]

As has already been agreed by most people, she should have reported it to the police. I think the question is, was getting in touch with the press when she hadn’t been updated by the police a good idea.

The answer to that would be a resounding No. Why go to the media at all? It was a police matter. Another time waster using up precious resources on 'what I thought was...'

[Brietta]

I already said she should have reported it. My opinion is that having done that she and the Olive Press then took an indefensible step. They circumvented the authorities and pointed the finger at an innocent family;

Intriguingly The Olive Press has now managed to locate details of a German family – under the name ‘Karsten Meyer’ – who did indeed check into the Cabopino campsite, near Fuengirola, three days after Maddie disappeared.
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2012/05/08/did-german-couple-snatch-maddie-mccann/

I think the woman shouldn't have spoken to the press and the press definitely shouldn't have printed someone's name on the basis of what was no more than one woman's opinion. If the family did have Madeleine the publicity warned them and gave them time to disappear. Not the best way to set about finding the child in my opinion.

Was there a definitive result in 2007 ... no.

Was there a definitive result in 2014 ... yes.

Does the end justify the means ... a matter of opinion.

[Brietta]

I know, jeez.

Excellent.

Then maybe you also know and can share why the witness only discovered in 2014 that nothing had been done about it at the time she originally reported it?

Perhaps it would have been better to have contacted the Olive Press in 2007 in preference to the authorities ... it might have generated some action?