Documentaries & Articles for Discussion

[Mr Gray]

I'm afraid it does, your peeps signed them.

anyone with any legal knowledge...which it seems rules you out...would realise that the signature is meaningless

[stephen25000]

anyone with any legal knowledge...which it seems rules you out...would realise that the signature is meaningless

Why ?

and your no lawyer, barrister, etc.

[Mr Gray]

Why ?

and your no lawyer, barrister, etc.

They signed something they did not understand and those who asked them to sign it knew that...legally that makes the signature invalid

[G-Unit]

you are burying your head in the sand and avoiding the truth....The Portuguese police have stated their are questions re their accuracy

According to the Telegraph who quoted 'a police source'. They also quoted an 'unnamed lawyer' in the same article suggesting that one of the T9 was going to change his statement.

"The intention of my client is to bring to light the truth of this sad story, without any concern for who might be implicated," he allegedly said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569143/Madeleine-McCann-Possible-translation-errors.html

[Alfred R Jones]

According to the Telegraph who quoted 'a police source'. They also quoted an 'unnamed lawyer' in the same article suggesting that one of the T9 was going to change his statement.

"The intention of my client is to bring to light the truth of this sad story, without any concern for who might be implicated," he allegedly said.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1569143/Madeleine-McCann-Possible-translation-errors.html

The Telegraph quoted a story in El Mundo, a story that was completely invented as we now know, and which was confirmed as such by Clarence Mitchell to the Telegraph reporter at the time.

[stephen25000]

They signed something they did not understand and those who asked them to sign it knew that...legally that makes the signature invalid

How do you know that ?

Any suspect could say that.

IOt's a rubbish argument.

[Mr Gray]

How do you know that ?

Any suspect could say that.

IOt's a rubbish argument.

Spanish doctors have refused to treat UK patients because they have been sued. Even though the treatment was explained in English the consent form signed was in Spanish...the consent was ruled invalid...

It's a principle throughout the legal system

[stephen25000]

Spanish doctors have refused to treat UK patients because they have been sued. Even though the treatment was explained in English the consent form signed was in Spanish...the consent was ruled invalid...

It's a principle throughout the legal system

That doesn't make their statements invalid.

[Benice]

Yes on 4th May both KM and GM signed the typewritten portuguese summaries of their respective individual interviews.

Can I ask you Pegasus.   Is it clear that those were the summarised versions of the 'verbatim' statements which the police would use to type up their summaries?    IIRC dates are not always shown on statements. (from memory)

IMO deciding what to put in and leave out of summaries  (of interviews which took hours to complete) - would be a huge and obviously very important task and not something which could be done quickly.  The verbatim statements would be extremely long and so I'm surprised if summaries were typed up and presented to the McCanns for signature on the same day as their interviews.

However, if that is what happened, then IMO it should not be forgotten that after having no sleep and long hours spent at the Police station, just hours after their daughter had disappeared, then they would be extremely tired and obviously full of anxiety.   

There is a vast difference between having a statement read out to you by an interpreter-  at their pace - and actually sitting down and reading a statement in English at your own pace - when any discrepancies would jump out of the page at you.   

If they did sign statements which had mistakes in them on 4th May - then in the circumstances - I don't find that remotely surprising.



   

[Mr Gray]

That doesn't make their statements invalid.

It doesn't matter that you do not understand basic legal principles...the important people  do..

[Mr Gray]

Can I ask you Pegasus.   Is it clear that those were the summarised versions of the 'verbatim' statements which the police would use to type up their summaries?    IIRC dates are not always shown on statements. (from memory)

IMO deciding what to put in and leave out of summaries  (of interviews which took hours to complete) - would be a huge and obviously very important task and not something which could be done quickly.  The verbatim statements would be extremely long and so I'm surprised if summaries were typed up and presented to the McCanns for signature on the same day as their interviews.

However, if that is what happened, then IMO it should not be forgotten that after having no sleep and long hours spent at the Police station, just hours after their daughter had disappeared, then they would be extremely tired and obviously full of anxiety.   

There is a vast difference between having a statement read out to you by an interpreter-  at their pace - and actually sitting down and reading a statement in English at your own pace - when any discrepancies would jump out of the page at you.   

If they did sign statements which had mistakes in them on 4th May - then in the circumstances - I don't find that remotely surprising.



   

there does not seem to be any record of the verbatim statements so none of the statements can be checked...

they are not admissible evidence anyway as the McCanns were not arguidos when they were made

[stephen25000]

It doesn't matter that you do not understand basic legal principles...the important people  do..

I do recognize legal principles.

[Mr Gray]

I do recognize legal principles.

so do I.

[pathfinder73]

They signed something they did not understand and those who asked them to sign it knew that...legally that makes the signature invalid

The statements are read back to them in English before they sign.

"At the end of the interview the statement prepared by the officer would be printed out in Portuguese, verbally translated, on the spot, into English, and then signed by the interviewee."

[G-Unit]

The Telegraph quoted a story in El Mundo, a story that was completely invented as we now know, and which was confirmed as such by Clarence Mitchell to the Telegraph reporter at the time.

There is no reason to suppose that the other story was true either.