Paedophile Roderick McDonald aka Roderick William Robinson arrested in Malta.

[ShiningInLuz]

Where was he, almost certainly, then?

ETA: did not some of the attacks on girls occur whilst he was known to be in the Algarve in 2010?  How long had he been there prior to his arrest?

He was almost certainly in New Zealand.

I don't know the answer on the 2nd part.  I have not yet sunk my teeth into the paedophile line, partly because I have little base information about the activity, partly because nearly all of the relevant information was expunged from the PJ Files prior to publication.

It would therefore require wading through the media, and paedo-in-Algarve-when-Maddie-was-snatched outsells paedo-not-connected-to-Maddie by a large margin, suggesting that some reports will be moulded to imply that a paedo who's whereabouts were unknown will magically be placed on the Algarve.

[ShiningInLuz]

There has been no proof or official confirmation of where he was in 2007.  He could have been anywhere on a false passport.

The false passport he travelled on was stolen (allegedly), by McDonald from a friend in NZ who looked like him.

There is nothing to suggest he stole, purchased or forged another passport, thus getting a fake passport that looked like him.  Or that he travelled to the Algarve before 2009.

[Eleanor]

Where is Sadie when you need her?  She knows far more about this than most.

[Alice Purjorick]

A Paedophile is questioned and everyone rushes in to defend him.  You couldn't make it up.

Show us where someone has posted something in defence of the guys behaviour if you would be so kind.

[Alfred R Jones]

Show us where someone has posted something in defence of the guys behaviour if you would be so kind.

He is being defended from the suggestion that he had anything to do with sex attacks on the Algarve, despite the fact that he lived there and is a known paedophile - why is that? 

[faithlilly]

Oh dear, seems you are wrong - see post above.

Are you talking about an article in the Mirror ? Really ?

[Alfred R Jones]

Are you talking about an article in the Mirror ? Really ?

Yes, I really am.

You stated:


"The fact remains that we have no evidence he ever was questioned".

Wrong.  There is the evidence - supplied by the Mirror -  that Maltese Officials confirmed he had been questioned.

Of course you would choose to disbelieve it, just as you would if it had been published in the Times, the Guardian or the Telegraph.  Why the Mirror would lie about such a thing is probably part of the great big McCann conspiracy going on in your head, but in the real world I can think of no reason for such a lie. 

Which sources of news (apart from Blacksmith's blog and those by other random "sceptics") have the Faithlilly stamp of approval out of interest?

[faithlilly]

Yes, I really am.

You stated:


"The fact remains that we have no evidence he ever was questioned".

Wrong.  There is the evidence - supplied by the Mirror -  that Maltese Officials confirmed he had been questioned.

Of course you would choose to disbelieve it, just as you would if it had been published in the Times, the Guardian or the Telegraph.  Why the Mirror would lie about such a thing is probably part of the great big McCann conspiracy going on in your head, but in the real world I can think of no reason for such a lie. 

Which sources of news (apart from Blacksmith's blog and those by other random "sceptics") have the Faithlilly stamp of approval out of interest?

Apologies if should have clarified......questioned by OG.

[Alfred R Jones]

So, there we have it - Operation Grange did not show any interest in interviewing a known paedophile who was residing in the Algarve at around the same time as sex attacks on children were happening there.  And why should they, after all, eh?  They've only been looking into the possible link between these sex attacks and Madeleine's disappearance so what use would there have been trying to extract any information out of a known paedo who lived in the area? Ridiculous idea to suggest they might have gone to Malta to question him!!! 

Is that better?

[faithlilly]

So, there we have it - Operation Grange did not show any interest in interviewing a known paedophile who was residing in the Algarve at around the same time as sex attacks on children were happening there.  And why should they, after all, eh?  They've only been looking into the possible link between these sex attacks and Madeleine's disappearance so what use would there have been trying to extract any information out of a known paedo who lived in the area? Ridiculous idea to suggest they might have gone to Malta to question him!!! 

Is that better?

So you accept that there is nothing to CONFIRM OG questioned him ?

[Alfred R Jones]

So you accept that there is nothing to CONFIRM OG questioned him ?

Not from a source that you consider acceptable, so until Blacksmith tells us it happened I guess not...

[ShiningInLuz]

He is being defended from the suggestion that he had anything to do with sex attacks on the Algarve, despite the fact that he lived there and is a known paedophile - why is that?

I think it is called being accurate.

When he was picked up, he had been living in a camp site in Olhão (eastern Algarve) for 2 months, if the camp site owner can be trusted.

To be accurate, I don't know precisely when he entered the Algarve, though from memory he was tracked because he bought and drove a motor home from the UK to Portugal.  I think that was shortly before he was picked up here.

He seems to have spent a considerable number of months in Lisbon prison before the deportation came through.

So, he's in the wrong area of Portugal at the wrong time. Plus there is nothing to suggest that he was in Portugal for the period spanning 2004-2010.

Other than that, we appear to have one source concluding from this that he was living in the nearby area when Madeleine disappeared.

Take your pick.

[Alfred R Jones]

Can I ask why the "sceptics" on this board find the idea of Operation Grange showing an interest in questioning this man about what he might know about paedophile activity in the Algarve so hard to believe?

[Alfred R Jones]

I think it is called being accurate.

When he was picked up, he had been living in a camp site in Olhão (eastern Algarve) for 2 months, if the camp site owner can be trusted.

To be accurate, I don't know precisely when he entered the Algarve, though from memory he was tracked because he bought and drove a motor home from the UK to Portugal.  I think that was shortly before he was picked up here.

He seems to have spent a considerable number of months in Lisbon prison before the deportation came through.

So, he's in the wrong area of Portugal at the wrong time. Plus there is nothing to suggest that he was in Portugal for the period spanning 2004-2010.

Other than that, we appear to have one source concluding from this that he was living in the nearby area when Madeleine disappeared.

Take your pick.

I think you may be mixing up your paedophiles, wasn't that Hewitt?

[Brietta]

Yes, I really am.

You stated:


"The fact remains that we have no evidence he ever was questioned".

Wrong.  There is the evidence - supplied by the Mirror -  that Maltese Officials confirmed he had been questioned.

Of course you would choose to disbelieve it, just as you would if it had been published in the Times, the Guardian or the Telegraph.  Why the Mirror would lie about such a thing is probably part of the great big McCann conspiracy going on in your head, but in the real world I can think of no reason for such a lie. 

Which sources of news (apart from Blacksmith's blog and those by other random "sceptics") have the Faithlilly stamp of approval out of interest?

I think there is a measure of cherry picking going on when it is decided what sources are allowed to be brought into the equation without derisory comment.

Scotland Yard made it plain right at the beginning of the investigation that there would be no running commentary. 

In the early days there was a real fear of antagonising the Portuguese authorities which might have endangered the continuation of the investigation; the press were warned that ill advised reporting might have that effect.

I think this has carried over into press investigation of Roderick McDonald.  They are getting nothing from SY ... but getting information from Maltese officials isn't covered by any restriction and is the sort of thing I would expect a tabloid reporter worth his salt to do.