Matthew Oldfield said the shutters weren't down!!

[Benice]

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Benice, Mr and Mrs McCann had the same translator, a sworn in translator, who at the end translates everything in English again in order to get the approbation or not of the interviewed. Besides only the main door could be locked with a key and Mr McCann mentions the key.
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Anne I'm not criticising the translator's skills,  I am suggesting that she (or the the Pj officer) may have misunderstood what GM said or he may have misunderstood something they said.  There was obviously discussion about both doors and about keys.  We know that confusion was caused during those first interviews because the British policewoman interviewing Jane Tanner mentions it.   Apparently some of the group called the Patio door the Front door and the other door the Back door.  That fact in itself would be cause for misunderstandings -  if the Pj considered the patio door to be the back door and the other door the Front door.  (which is what I would do)

Gerry McCann is an intelligent person - so why would he decide to tell such a really stupid lie?  Having said that the patio door was left unlocked, it would be obvious to anyone that he would use that door.  It would be silly to claim that for no reason at all he decided to walk past an entrance 50 metres away - and take the much longer route round to the front door to achieve the same end  i.e. to enter the apartment.     In fact he would have to be really 'thick' not to realise how unbelievable that claim would be. - and I don't think he is thick - in fact far from it.

Therefore the only other reason is because  misunderstandings must have taken place during the interview.

As far as I know the notes would be typed up in Portuguese and read back to Gerry by the interpretor.  There is a vast difference between reading something yourself at your own pace, when any errors would jump out of the page at you and listening to someone else reading to you at their pace - especially considering GMs state of mind at that time.

I don't know what the procedure was after that - but if the statement was later typed in English and given to GM - then maybe that would be the time that he noticed the error

In Kates book she gives examples of how meanings could be lost in translation:

Quote

'I was really upset' had become 'I was fed up'.

'I never felt that relaxed' became 'I'd never felt so relaxed'
Unquote.


IMO many 'sceptics' do not place enough importance on the ''language barrier'' and the difficulties which could arise, as a result of it.   



     

[Redblossom]

Would Matthew Oldfield not have felt the cold as the window would have been open as well as the shutters.? it was very cold that night by all accounts. By his account there was no wind though as the curtains were not moving although by other accounts it was a breezy night.

[Eleanor]

The problem in the beginning always was which was the front door and which was the back door.  It took me a minute or ten to work it out.  But it was a perfect opportunity to accuse The McCanns of lying, when in fact it was just confusion all round.

[Benice]

Would Matthew Oldfield not have felt the cold as the window would have been open as well as the shutters.? it was very cold that night by all accounts. By his account there was no wind though as the curtains were not moving although by other accounts it was a breezy night.

I suppose it would depend on what sort of clothing he was wearing, and breezes do 'gust' at varying levels of strength.  He was only there for a matter of seconds  - and if he didn't notice the curtains moving then I presume the breeze had died down momentarily at that time.   

His only mission for being there was to ascertain that the children were asleep, and so as he heard no noise or sounds of movement he assumed all was well.   There was no reason for him to take particular note of his surroundings at that point.     It was only after Madeleine disappeared that it became important for him to try to remember everything he could about what he had seen.   I believe he did his best, but who knows how accurate his recollections were. 

IMO I think the main point established by his visit was that the door was much further open than Gerry had left it after his visit.


 

[Redblossom]

Would Matthew Oldfield not have felt the cold as the window would have been open as well as the shutters.? it was very cold that night by all accounts. By his account there was no wind though as the curtains were not moving although by other accounts it was a breezy night.

I suppose it would depend on what sort of clothing he was wearing, and breezes do 'gust' at varying levels of strength.  He was only there for a matter of seconds  - and if he didn't notice the curtains moving then I presume the breeze had died down momentarily at that time.   

His only mission for being there was to ascertain that the children were asleep, and so as he heard no noise or sounds of movement he assumed all was well.   There was no reason for him to take particular note of his surroundings at that point.     It was only after Madeleine disappeared that it became important for him to try to remember everything he could about what he had seen.   I believe he did his best, but who knows how accurate his recollections were. 

IMO I think the main point established by his visit was that the door was much further open than Gerry had left it after his visit.


 

However well you are dressed you can sense a drop on temperature on your face at least.

Re the door, it was more open than they had left it when Gerry did his check at 9.10 or so, so what does that mean?

Madeleine was at an age that she could get up and go to the toilet. The door being more open doesnt actually prove anything.

And I have asked this before, why did Matthew go out of his way to go inside the apartment and just do a listening check when he could have done one outside the bedroom window after leaving his flat as he did half an hour earlier to listen out for crying?

[Benice]

Would Matthew Oldfield not have felt the cold as the window would have been open as well as the shutters.? it was very cold that night by all accounts. By his account there was no wind though as the curtains were not moving although by other accounts it was a breezy night.

I suppose it would depend on what sort of clothing he was wearing, and breezes do 'gust' at varying levels of strength.  He was only there for a matter of seconds  - and if he didn't notice the curtains moving then I presume the breeze had died down momentarily at that time.   

His only mission for being there was to ascertain that the children were asleep, and so as he heard no noise or sounds of movement he assumed all was well.   There was no reason for him to take particular note of his surroundings at that point.     It was only after Madeleine disappeared that it became important for him to try to remember everything he could about what he had seen.   I believe he did his best, but who knows how accurate his recollections were. 

IMO I think the main point established by his visit was that the door was much further open than Gerry had left it after his visit.


 

However well you are dressed you can sense a drop on temperature on your face at least.

Re the door, it was more open than they had left it when Gerry did his check at 9.10 or so, so what does that mean?

Madeleine was at an age that she could get up and go to the toilet. The door being more open doesnt actually prove anything.

And I have asked this before, why did Matthew go out of his way to go inside the apartment and just do a listening check when he could have done one outside the bedroom window after leaving his flat as he did half an hour earlier to listen out for crying?

I don't know what the temperature inside 5A was - so cannot hazard a guess.

The fact that the door was open means that someone must have opened it.  Only her parents could say whether she was in the habit of waking up, going to the toilet and then going back to bed by herself.  If she'd never done that before then there is high possibility that someone else opened the door.

It seems pretty obvious to me that Kate had asked Matthew to actually go into the apartment to check. as that is what she was going to do -  had she gone herself  - and not agreed to let Matthew make the check for her. 

[Redblossom]

Well let's see, was it because at 9.30 the window would have been open.. the problems that a fabricated timeline cause eh!
***

Well yes, *but* apparently he has said in his rogatory  interview that the shutters were not down when he went in to check

The window would also have been open and I dont believe a shut window and shutters would have the same feel as a closed window and shutters, that is why I am not convinced he went inside, apart from him saying all sorts of things that were not true, that there was a bookcase with lots of books which he looked through,two windows, green or green and yellow curtains etc

 

[Redblossom]

The fact that the door was open means that someone must have opened it.  Only her parents could say whether she was in the habit of waking up, going to the toilet and then going back to bed by herself.  If she'd never done that before then there is high possibility that someone else opened the door.
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How would they know if they were not there, they were in a different country, with different foods and drinks and routines, and if the kids woke up and cried out for the toilet or anything else,no one there

It's  all speculation anyway on this front, I just dont think finding a door a bit more open proves a stranger was in there

[DCI]

Well let's see, was it because at 9.30 the window would have been open.. the problems that a fabricated timeline cause eh!
***

Well yes, *but* apparently he has said in his rogatory  interview that the shutters were not down when he went in to check

The window would also have been open and I dont believe a shut window and shutters would have the same feel as a closed window and shutters, that is why I am not convinced he went inside, apart from him saying all sorts of things that were not true, that there was a bookcase with lots of books which he looked through,two windows, green or green and yellow curtains etc

But his rogatory statement doesn't say that, does it?

00.23.05 4078 'Okay'.

He actually says:

"I've spent a lot of time debating how far the door was open, from previous questioning, and, you know, it wasn't flat back against the wall, because that would have looked odd, it was just sort of halfway open, so it seemed slightly unusual that it should be so wide open, because you could see straight into the middle of the room from the angle that you approach it, because the, you've got sofas here and you've got a bookcase here and you have to come out, you've got sort of the wall of the bedroom and then it goes back where the bathroom is"

And this:

I can't see the shutters because thee curtains were shut and, they're similar curtains to the ones you've got in there, and you just get an impression of just like green and yellow but they were closed

www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MATTHEW-OLDFIELD-ROGATORY.htm