As Dr Totman has never, to my knowledge, spoken about his beliefs, I don't think we can say what they were. Otherwise you need to put your question to those who are suggesting that Jane Tanner got the time of her sighting wrong.
It's an open question. According to DCI Redwood, Dr Totman did speak about his beliefs.
Snipped from transcript of Crimewatch October 2013...
AMROLIWALA
One of the most pivotal events on the timeline was Jane Tanner’s sighting of a man carrying a child. He was walking in this spot…
PICTURES OF ROAD OUTSIDE G5A
…just metres from where Madeleine had been sleeping.
DRAMATIC MUSIC
This man was widely thought to have been Madeleine’s abductor, but the team was taking nothing for granted.
21 40
One of the things that we picked up very quickly was the fact that there was a night crèche that was operating from the main Ocean Club reception – and 8 families had left 11 children in there – and one particular family we spoke to us gave us information that was really interesting and exciting. In fact, I would say it was – it was a revelation moment when, having discussed with them what hey were doing on the night,
they themselves believed that they could be the Tanner sighting.22 10
AMROLIWALA
The British father had collected his two-year-old daughter from the crèche. He had been walking near the McCanns’ apartment.PHOTOGRAPH SHOWN
This is the actual photograph taken by Metropolitan Police Officers of the man dressed in the kind of clothes he wore on holiday. This image was compared to the artist’s impression [based on Jane Tanner’s statement].
CRECHEMAN AND TANNERMAN MERGED SO THAT THEY APPEARED TO BE VERY SIMILAR
It is uncannily similar – and we know from the pyjamas that their child was wearing that it is, again, uncannily striking, the similarity.
AMROLIWALA
So, what you’re saying is that the timeline that everyone was working on for four years in this case…was wrong?
23 00
REDWOOD
We’re almost certain, now, that this sighting is not the abductor.
But very importantly, what it says is that from 9.15, we are able to allow the clock…
TICKING CLOCK
…to move forward and in doing so, things that have not been quite as significant or received quite the same degree of attention are now the centre of our focus.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
No-one should be in any doubt that Jane's sighting occurred at 2115hrs based on what SY disclosed to us, or that Dr Totman had collected his daughter from the creche rather than being on the way to drop her off.
