Analysis of the timeline

[Brietta]

Oh, I think the circus had been guaranteed before the PJ said a word to anyone;

Trish said: "When Kate checked, she came out screaming. Maddy had gone. The door was open and the window in the bedroom and shutters were jemmied open. Nothing had been touched and no valuables taken."

Jon Corner; He said: "She just blurted out that Madeleine had been abducted. She told me, 'They have broken the shutter on the window and taken my little girl.'

"They had left the apartment locked while they were having their meal, but when they went back the last time they saw the damage."

Ms Renwick said: "Poor Kate and Gerry don't know where to turn. She's obviously been taken as she couldn't have gone out on her own and the shutters had been forced open."

"The shutters had been broken open and they've gone into the room and taken her."

Philomena McCann, said on 04 May: "Some people may ask why they left the children alone in the apartment but it was locked and they had a full view of the front door and they were checking every half hour."
 
   
"Gerry told me when they went back the shutters to the room were broken, they were jemmied up and she was gone," said Mr Healy.
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id31.html

I'm sure you were able to come to your own conclusions in forming an opinion about exactly who was responsible for the press furore and the suspicions directed at the McCanns.

However there were very many who had a helping hand along the way.

The Policia Judiciaria leaked to the press.
The press printed the leaks and despite or perhaps because of judicial secrecy laws ~ the people of Portugal reading information emanating from such an authoritative source believed it.

Some British people still believe it despite the discrediting of many such leaks (100% DNA being one example).

Some Portuguese people certainly still believed it and can be heard in the background when Gerry returned to Luz to film Madeleine was here and more recently the Grafitti in Luz bears witness to continued hostility, although some of that was the work either of an illiterate Portuguese national or an ex-pat with a poor command of Portuguese.

However the seeds of doubt were sown very early into the investigation ... according to the Amaral book ... 4th May when he opened his eyes in the morning. 
Not even enough time to read through the timeline written by the McCann party, not enough time to speak to people and analyse their statements, not enough time to gain enough knowledge of the situation to decide on anything at all let alone assess any discrepancies in the timeline or inconsistencies in statements.

Mr Amaral's 'Damascus Moment' seems to have superseded any requirement for a proper police investigation.  I don't know how that fitted with any chance of finding out what had happened to Madeleine or how much the chances of finding her may have been damaged by it but I don't think it helped the case at all.




PANORAMA
The Mystery of Madeleine McCann
Reporter: Richard Bilton

RECORDED FROM TRANSMISSION: BBC ONE
DATE: 19:11:07

MAY 5th
We would again like to appeal for any information, however small, that may lead to the safe return of Madeleine.

BILTON: First appeals are made, but what we didn't know at the time was that some Portuguese detectives are already telling Portuguese journalists that they don't believe the McCann story.

JOSE MANUEL OLIVEIRA
Crime reporter, 'Diario de Noticias'

Information started circulating from sources connected to the Portuguese police that the story was full of holes from the side of the McCanns and their friends.

Indeed within two days of Madeleine disappearing, this crime correspondent was filing this piece in the Portuguese Daily: Diario of the Noticias: "Headline: a badly told story."

We started to receive information according to which the police suspected the theory they had apprehensions, didn't believe the theory that she had been kidnapped.

To conclude, the police started to suspect the parents from the word go.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/7106086.stm

[mercury]

The media circus was initiated by members of the tapas party despite being told by police to not involve them, and that is what GUnits post was ABOUT

How they could say they were surprised by their presence in pdl is anyone's guess


The "badly told story" was a pt media response to the british media and mccanns and co versions of events

You cannot complain about the pt media when the british media ran riot to start with family and friends chucking out silly stories
 
Eg philomena mccann complaining that the pj took five hours to arrive, a load of old crock, who told her that?
Or that the shutters had been smashed, courtesy of a friend, who told her that?
Both recorded on tv btw and n hearsay/misquotes!
Etc etc ad infinitum

[G-Unit]

Criticism of the PJ begins  immediately;

Jon Corner;
"She's also very upset that the police don't seem to be doing more to find Madeleine. She thinks there's too little happening."

Ms Renwick said the McCanns, who had been holidaying with three other British families, had felt let down by police in Portugal. "I spoke to them this morning and they said the police had done nothing overnight and they felt as if they'd been left on their own. They just don't know where to turn."
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id31.html

[G-Unit]

Having had input from all those present this timeline is the best effort of all nine people.

20.35   Gerry & Kate at restaurant     
20.40   Jane Tanner at restaurant     
20.42   Matt and Rachael at restaurant     
20.45   Russell at restaurant     
20.55   Matt 1st check                                                Passes the Paynes and Dianne Webster
20.57   Matt listens     
21.00   Matt returns 1st check                                Starters ordered   
21.05   GM 1st check     
21.15   Jane sighting                                                GM & JEZ talking north of gate.   
21.20   Jane returns                                                Starters have arrived, Gerry has returned.
21.25   Matt and Russ go check     
21.30   Matt McCann apartment check     
21.35   Matt returns from  McCann apartment check        Mains have arrived   
21.40   Jane relieves Russ     
21.45   Russ returns     
21.55   Russ food served     
22.00   Kate check                                                        Searches all rooms and wardrobes then heads back   
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/TIME_LINE_3_MAY_07.htm

Now the Final three. Done together because they had less interviews/less to say.
GM = Gerry KM = Kate DP = David


Just after 20.30 at restaurant KM & GM
20.55 at restaurant DP
Gerry, Jane and Matt checked during the evening DP
21.05 Gerry checks, speaks to Jez, returns to table. GM
21.00 Gerry checks, as does Russell KM.
21.10 OR 21.15 Jane saw man GM
21.15 Jane saw man KM
21.30 Matt checked KM
21.30 Matt checked GM
22.00 Kate checked GM
22.00 Kate checked KM
22.00 Kate checked DP

GM 10th May

20.35 at restaurant, followed by everyone else.
21.00 Matt goes to check (no mention of chasing the Paynes, although Gerry sat between them at the table)
21.05 Matt returns, Gerry goes to check.
21.10 or 21.15 Returns to table, having chatted with Jez and not seen Jane..
21.30 Matt checks for Kate
21.35 Matt returns.
Can't remember anyone else going. No children ill that evening.
22.03 Kate checks.
22.13 Kate returns giving alarm.

KM 6th Sept.

20.30 to 20.35 to restaurant.
Order of arrival Jane, Matt and Rachael, Russell then the Paynes.
21.00 All seated.
21.00 or 21.05 Gerry checked.
21.10 or 21.15 Gerry returns.
21.30 Matt checks for her.
Matt returns less than 10 minutes later.
She doesn't remember if anyone else checked (although she was seated next to Jane who was absent from 21.40)
22.00 Kate checks.

GM 7th September

21.04 he goes to check.
Matt checked next in place of Kate.
22.00 Kate checks
22.10 Kate raises the alarm.

DP Rog

Gone 20.45 when they left for the restaurant. Met Matt coming to look for them. Between 20,45 and 21,00 he says when pressed.
He remembers Jane leaving so Russell could return to eat.
Kate returned from her check just after 22.00 and raised the alarm.

These three witnesses give much less detail than the other witnesses. None of them mention Matt's 21.00 check in their first interviews. Kate thought Russell went to check at the same time as Gerry. None of them mention Russell going with Matt at 21.30 or him and Jane swapping over.

By 10th May Gerry has remembered Matt's 21.00 check, but he still has no recollection of the Russell/Jane saga.

Kate doesn't remember much on 6th September. The Russell/Jane saga isn't mentioned despite her being seated next to Jane.

David has remembered the Russell/Jane saga by the time of his rog. interview.

[pathfinder73]

Criticism of the PJ begins  immediately;

Jon Corner;
"She's also very upset that the police don't seem to be doing more to find Madeleine. She thinks there's too little happening."

Ms Renwick said the McCanns, who had been holidaying with three other British families, had felt let down by police in Portugal. "I spoke to them this morning and they said the police had done nothing overnight and they felt as if they'd been left on their own. They just don't know where to turn."
http://www.mccannfiles.com/id31.html

And while Luz were out searching Kate was trying to find a priest. After that she goes out to search (left 5H 5am-6am).

"Kate told her that her daughter had disappeared 13 hours ago. It was about 10 in the morning."  YM