According to DCI Redwood a forensic analysis of the timeline for the evening of 3rd May was carried out and it showed an opportunity for Madeleine to be taken btween 9.30pm and 10pm.
Heriberto Janosch has said he conducted a system analysis of the timeline which told him that it was physically impossible for the McCanns to have been involved in Madeleine's disappearance.
I have no fancy computer system, but I thought it was worth a look at the timeline. Rather than looking at individual statements I decided to take the typed timeline produced by the group as their definitive account because Russell O'Brien said;
that was a timeline that was made purely by the nine of us
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/RUSSELL-OBRIEN_ROGATORY.htm
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
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
We can see the 15 minute gap between 21.45 and 22.00 which Redwood identified. Previously there were only 5 minute gaps.
It takes Matt 5 minutes to do a listening check of three apartments, and it takes Jane 5 minutes to do an inside check on her children only. When Matt does his second check it takes him 10 minutes because he checks two apartments and speaks to Russell also. Gerald visited the bathroom and had a moment n the bedroom, so he was likely to have spent 5 minutes in his apartment, then 5 minutes chatting. As Kate searched the apartment, the alarm was probably raised between 5 and 10 minutes after she went to check.
There are some statements by those outside the group which either contradict their timeline or cast doubt on it.
Stephen Carpenter thought they were all seated at approx. 21.30pm. If he's correct it's unlikely that the starters didn't arrive until 21.20pm.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/STEPHEN-CARPENTER.htm
Maria Rosa says an English tourist arrived at the Millenium at 22.00 asking if anyone had seen a child.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARIA_ROSA.htm
Emma Wilding says she heard about the disappearance at 22.00
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/EMMA_WILDING.htm
Ricardo Alexandre da Luz Oliveira says the whole group had gone from the table at 21.45
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/RICARDO-A-D-L-OLIVEIRA.htm
Barend Jan Jacob Weijdom says he heard the news before 22.00
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/BAREND_WEIJDOM.htm
One of the reasons to distrust the timeline is not that people disagreed with each other, they disagreed with themselves too. Thsi suggests they changed their story due to discussions with each other. Despite that, they were very bad at it.
it says above that Matt passed the Paynes and Dianne Webster during his first check. In her 4th May statement Dianne says they left for the restaurant at 20.45, ten minutes before Matt went to check.
The communal timeline above was then produced by all of them before their interviews on 11th May.
Dianne now modifies her statement to say they arrived at 21.00. She forgets about seeing Matt, though;
Asked if there was the possibility of having crossed paths with someone during the journey between her apartment and restaurant,
the witness said no.....The witness did not recall, but thinks that perhaps Gerald and MATT had not been in the restaurant along with the other members of the group.
- In this regard, asked specifically whether, on the journey to the restaurant, if they had passed either of the two individuals described in the preceding paragraph,
she answered categorically not.
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/DIANNE_WEBSTER_11-MAY07.htmSo that's a no and a definitely not. Very clear. But then, a year later, her memory for the arrival time has again moved to before nine o'clock, but despite arriving before or at the same time as Matt left, she has now managed to recall seeing him 'coming up'. As you will have noticed, she hadn't just neglected to mention seeing Matt, she had strongly denied seeing him;
”Well we arrived about, I don’t know, ten to nine, five to nine, which was very late. Err and
the thing that I didn’t mention at the original err interview in Portugal was that I do vaguely remember seeing Matt, he was coming up because I think he made some joke about coming up to see where we were because we were so late, but he was actually on his way to check err check the children.”
4078 ”Right.”
Reply ”Err so
I do, I do remember that although I didn’t remember it clearly at the time err so we got down to the table err I think we ordered our starters.”
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/DIANE-WEBSTER-2.htmAn impressive witness.
They arrived at 20.45 or 21.00 or 21.50 or 21.55.
She couldn't have passed Russell if she arrived before or at 21.55 as that's when he left.
When her memory is freshest she denies completely seeing Matt, but somehow the memory surfaces a year later.
