The confusion over the doors didn't help the investigation?

[AnneGuedes]

I'm hardly promoting a conspiracy when I've been trying to explain why I find it logical that there could have been mistakes.

Sorry, but your constant and by unsupported doubts concerning written and signed statements (not denounced in her book by the interest part, Mrs McCann) are promoting some kind of conspiracy aimed to blame the McCanns in order to protect the PJ.

[Carana]

Sorry, but your constant and by unsupported doubts concerning written and signed statements (not denounced in her book by the interest part, Mrs McCann) are promoting some kind of conspiracy aimed to blame the McCanns in order to protect the PJ.

I'm trying to understand this... Expressing my view, with reasons, as to why there could have been genuine mistakes is promoting a conspiracy theory? Seriously?

[a.baker]

Apologies if I am wrong but didn't GM say that he left his keys on the kitchen worktop sometime after entering the apartment through the front door?

[Benice]

Sorry, but your constant and by unsupported doubts concerning written and signed statements (not denounced in her book by the interest part, Mrs McCann) are promoting some kind of conspiracy aimed to blame the McCanns in order to protect the PJ.

Anne -  No-one is promoting a conspiracy.    It's plain common sense that mistakes and misunderstandings will take place when there is a language barrier to contend with.- and especially when statements have been translated and re-translated by different people - some professional some amateurs.        To suggest that not a single mistake by anyone was possible is preposterous. IMO

The following are the words of a Translator - are you suggesting he/ she is lying?

TRANSLATION BY ALBYM
 
04-Processo 04 Page 905 to 917
 
 
[M Oldfield's  Statement 10th May Again, there were several omissions from, and errors in, the original Portuguese. I corrected those that I found. Also, much of the Portuguese statement is written with a convoluted 'future + past' verb construct that attributes an 'uncertainty' to the words, whereas I have translated much of it in a non-literal manner to make it read more definitively. Hence, the reader must understand that neither the Portuguese nor my translation necessarily constitute the exact words spoken by Oldfield. If you read MO's Rogatory Letter testimony you will get a sense of the difficulty the Portuguese interpreter faced when listening to this man.]   
 
Unquote

That statement alone proves that 'translating' was not the 'walk in the park' some people would like to think it is.

[Carana]

Anne -  No-one is promoting a conspiracy.    It's plain common sense that mistakes and misunderstandings will take place when there is a language barrier to contend with.- and especially when statements have been translated and re-translated by different people - some professional some amateurs.        To suggest that not a single mistake by anyone was possible is preposterous. IMO

The following are the words of a Translator - are you suggesting he/ she is lying?

TRANSLATION BY ALBYM
 
04-Processo 04 Page 905 to 917
 
 
[M Oldfield's  Statement 10th May Again, there were several omissions from, and errors in, the original Portuguese. I corrected those that I found. Also, much of the Portuguese statement is written with a convoluted 'future + past' verb construct that attributes an 'uncertainty' to the words, whereas I have translated much of it in a non-literal manner to make it read more definitively. Hence, the reader must understand that neither the Portuguese nor my translation necessarily constitute the exact words spoken by Oldfield. If you read MO's Rogatory Letter testimony you will get a sense of the difficulty the Portuguese interpreter faced when listening to this man.]   
 
Unquote

That statement alone proves that 'translating' was not the 'walk in the park' some people would like to think it is.

I agree, Benice.

There were a few other statements that mentioned inaccuracies. They weren't recorded verbatim, but as a summary of what was understood at the time. Misunderstandings are just that. The issue, in my view, is about not acknowledging the fact of how confusion can occur and to then accuse people of lying... whether it is the witnesses, the interpreters or the police officers. Without evidence of any of the three parties actually lying for any reason, the most logical explanation, in my view and in view of the circumstances, is that there were quite simply mistakes blown out of all proportion.

[AnneGuedes]

I'm trying to understand this... Expressing my view, with reasons, as to why there could have been genuine mistakes is promoting a conspiracy theory? Seriously?

Absolutely !

[Carana]

Absolutely !

Ok. I rest my case.

[AnneGuedes]

Anne -  No-one is promoting a conspiracy.    It's plain common sense that mistakes and misunderstandings will take place when there is a language barrier to contend with.- and especially when statements have been translated and re-translated by different people - some professional some amateurs.        To suggest that not a single mistake by anyone was possible is preposterous. IMO

The following are the words of a Translator - are you suggesting he/ she is lying?

TRANSLATION BY ALBYM
 
04-Processo 04 Page 905 to 917
 
 
[M Oldfield's  Statement 10th May Again, there were several omissions from, and errors in, the original Portuguese. I corrected those that I found. Also, much of the Portuguese statement is written with a convoluted 'future + past' verb construct that attributes an 'uncertainty' to the words, whereas I have translated much of it in a non-literal manner to make it read more definitively. Hence, the reader must understand that neither the Portuguese nor my translation necessarily constitute the exact words spoken by Oldfield. If you read MO's Rogatory Letter testimony you will get a sense of the difficulty the Portuguese interpreter faced when listening to this man.]   
 
Unquote

That statement alone proves that 'translating' was not the 'walk in the park' some people would like to think it is.

It's certainly better to be able to check the Portuguese signed statement and I'm not saying that there are no mistakes in the translations. I have corrected some of them. I've no idea whether Albym is lusophone.
The important statements had the best interpreters and great care was brought in making sure the witness's statement was respected before he signed it.
When the English translation says "back door", it translates the word "porta das traseiras" of the statement in Portuguese. As I said before this is not the word a Portuguese speaker would use to call the French window.

[pathfinder73]

None of that answers my question.  If Gerry had used the front door as part of some 'sinister' action - then surely he would have wanted to conceal that fact  from the PJ - and would not have mentioned the front door at all?   Why give them clues?

It had already been confirmed in his first statement that the patio doors were unlocked - so it wasn't changed in his 2nd statement.

There is nothing suspicious about using the key. That is the normal way to gain access to a locked secure apartment. But Kate said that the patio door was unlocked so why use a key? The patio door is the nearest side from the tapas bar so you would use that way. He wouldn't think that was important when he said it probably thinking of it being non-incriminating. But if he did in fact use the key then WHY?

1. He used the key because the apartment was locked including the patio door and it was the only way he could enter.

2. He used the key because that was the nearest side to enter.

[Carana]

There is nothing suspicious about using the key. That is the normal way to gain access to a locked secure apartment. But Kate said that the patio door was unlocked so why use a key? The patio door is the nearest side from the tapas bar so you would use that way. He wouldn't think that was important when he said it probably thinking of it being non-incriminating. But if he did in fact use the key then WHY?

1. He used the key because the apartment was locked including the patio door and it was the only way he could enter.

2. He used the key because that was the nearest side to enter.

3. There was a confusion about which door was actually used, only one of which required a key to enter.

[pathfinder73]

3. There was a confusion about which door was actually used, only one of which required a key to enter.

There is no confusion over which door used a key. They had been using the key for 6 days so they knew which door it was!

[AnneGuedes]

There is no confusion over which door used a key. They had been using the key for 6 days so they knew which door it was!

The French window was said "left unclosed", in fact, for the abductor to get in, since the investigators could only take at face value the McCanns' word for the shutters/window entry (imagining that the cleaning lady could swear that the window was locked).

[Carana]

There is no confusion over which door used a key. They had been using the key for 6 days so they knew which door it was!

The McCanns would have known what was considered to be the back and the front, but what about the interpreter and the police officer?

[AnneGuedes]

The McCanns would have known what was considered to be the back and the front, but what about the interpreter and the police officer?

Very easy, being a ground floor : porta da rua vs porta das traseiras, if the witness insisted in calling "door" what isn't actually one and insisted in using erroneously "closing" instead of "leaving slightly open".

[Benice]

3. There was a confusion about which door was actually used, only one of which required a key to enter.

There was also confusion because some described the door facing onto the carpark as the back door and some described it as the front door.    And the same goes for the Patio door - with some describing it as the front door and some the back door.   IIRC To avoid further confusion it was suggested by the UK police officer interviewing JT that they referred to one door as the poolside door and the other as the roadside door.

I can't believe that anyone reading this thread cannot see how easy it was for a misunderstanding to occur during that very first interview over the doors.

Corrected to change 'carpark' door to 'roadside door.