Mr Carpenter´s statement and Rasta Man

[twisted]

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/STEPHEN-CARPENTER.htm

 If I am correct in reading this Mr Carpenter states he arrived around 7 at the Tapas- we know he had a table booked. Fine. He mentions seeing Neil Berry and Raj Balu waiting for their take away on the esplanade. The person he does not mention is ´´ rasta man´´ .  Police came to the conclusion that rasta man was a holidaymaker called  Michael James Sperrey. Jes Wilkins reported seeing him at or near the Tapas bar acting in a nervous manner on the night. Mr Sperrey had a table for two booked for nine o clock. Mr Carpenter says he  and his wife  and kids left about 21.15. Had Mr Sperrey not arrived or was it just a memory lapse on Mr Carpenter´s part?. The reason I point this out is both Mr Balu and Mr Berry were very suspicious of Mr Sperrey  during the searching feeling he was acting in an odd manner.  I feel IF Mr Carpenter HAD seen him he would have said something to the effect , oh, that´s the guy with the dreadlocks who I saw having a meal with his wife last night.

[pegasus]

Hi twisted. If you look at the official files, the relevant phrase in the SC statement is "um homem com tochas".
I don't speak portuguese but it's easy to check that this does not mean "a man with dreadlocks".
It means "a man with torches".
Torches/flashlights were in short supply and during the early search, this man provided some.
So the "man with torches" in SC statement is no connection to the "man with dreadlocks" in JW statement. Two different people, one was an expat, the other was a tourist

P.S. the source is Cartas Rogatorias File 3, page 44, "um homem com tochas"

[twisted]

Thanks Pegasus!!

[pegasus]

Hi twisted, welcome and thanks for an interesting first post. Maybe this is where the torch/flashlight in the first televised appeal came from?

[Aiofe]

Mr Carpenter's rogatory clearly states (when questioned in English) that it was a man with dreadlocks.)

Where is the supposed confusion between tochas (which unfortunately means arse in Yiddish) and dreadlocks- is it being suggested that there was some misunderstanding at the first interview?

[twisted]

Huge flurry of interest on PJ files in Carpenter´s statement. I live in Spain. Has there been some mention of all this in UK media?  You can see a little feed about where people are from and what files they are reading. almost 70% have been reading the Carpenter statement since midnight

[pegasus]

The original English language rog of SC is not in the published files.
Only the Portuguese police translation of it is in the published files, and it says "tochas".
The page is: Cartas Rogatorias File 3, page 44
(On forums you see the word "tochas" incorrectly reverse-translated back into English as "dreadlocks").

[twisted]

Pegasus- thank you. This brings up yet another important point. Was the investigation hampered due to the crossover between English and Portugese?

 The second point I would then make is: who is this English man with torches perceived to be acting in a strange manner?

[pegasus]

Reading SC's statement, maybe B and B found the man suspicious because he was involved in the search that night but not the next day. Not sure, I will have to read again.

[twisted]

Was Mr Sperrey ever interviewed? I can´t find his statement. Would seem an obvious person to eliminate from enquiries plus he was at Tapas bar- he might have seen or heard something crucial to the case

[pegasus]

I think PJ efficiently investigated the man mentioned by JW, and I think PJ went to reception and quickly identified him as simply a tourist. (there is a link somewhere but I lost it).
The PJ would not have confused him with the different man mentioned indirectly in SC statement, because the PJ were working from the actual official portuguese translation of SC statement (and not from a later forum reverse-translation thereof).

[twisted]

Yes, good point Pegasus.