Remind us what he did say then?
He said very much along the same lines that Mr McCluskey did when reporting his conclusions of watching the family exit the plane. Mr McCluskey was mistaken.
Wear couple told police: We saw MaddiePublished: 11:00 Thursday 07 August 2008 Updated: 14:50 Friday 08 August 2008 SnipOn September 12, he gave a second statement at Farringdon Hall Police Station, which read:
"The events of the past week or so, with the McCanns being very much in the news, have triggered my memory in relation to the incident.
"In my original statement I described a distressed female who ran down a road towards a white van I had described.
"Having viewed news footage of Mrs McCann I am now almost certain she is the female I described as being in a distressed state.
"I say this because of her slight build, high cheekbones and her eyes and hairstyle."
He added: "I've agonised for days over whether or not to contact police about this because it is a terrible thing to accuse somebody of.
"It had just not crossed my mind that the child's parents could in some way be involved in her disappearance."
Also in his second statement, made after watching news coverage of Kate and Gerry McCann returning to Britain from Portugal, Mr McCluskey added:
"Another thing which has played on my mind is the coverage of Mr McCann walking off the aeroplane holding one of his young children.
"The way he was holding the child over his left shoulder reminded me of the man carrying the child from the white van in Portugal.
"Although I could not describe the male I'd seen in Portugal because he had his back to me, it was the particular way Mr McCann held the child that made me think."
https://www.sunderlandecho.com/news/wear-couple-told-police-we-saw-maddie-1-1152843