Have the dog alerts any significance?

[Alfie]

 "The dog alert indications MUST be corroborated if to establish their findings as evidence" - Martin Grime.

[slartibartfast]

Maybe we should stop confusing evidence as a requirement in a legal jurisdiction and evidence as something pointing towards a cause.

[Mr Gray]

The dog alerts are evidence.

They are not proof.

Yet still evidence.

the alerts are not evidence according to harrison and grime....you are totally wrong

[Alfie]

Maybe we should stop confusing evidence as a requirement in a legal jurisdiction and evidence as something pointing towards a cause.

What cause do the dog alerts point to?

[slartibartfast]

What cause do the dog alerts point to?

They reinforce the possibility that Madeleine may have died in or around 5a.

[Mr Gray]

They reinforce the possibility that Madeleine may have died in or around 5a.

they do not reinforce any possibility...you are merely stating your opinion
they have no evidential value
you do not understand the alerts

[Alfie]

They reinforce the possibility that Madeleine may have died in or around 5a.

They could also reinforce the possibility that someone else may have died in or around 5a.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that furniture or furnishings used in the apartment had previously come into contact with a cadaver.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that police that had previously come into contact with cadavers  entering the apartment accidentally contaminated various areas of the apartment.  Or they could confirm the possibility that someone stayed in the apartment after the McCanns whose career brings them into contact with dead bodies.   Or they could reinforce the possibilty that someone planted cadaver odour in the apartment to frame the McCanns.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that unconcious handler bias can lead to false alerts.  So.....

[Alfie]

Oh I thought that you knew as you seem to know what he did wrong.

Cite?

[slartibartfast]

They could also reinforce the possibility that someone else may have died in or around 5a.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that furniture or furnishings used in the apartment had previously come into contact with a cadaver.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that police that had previously come into contact with cadavers  entering the apartment accidentally contaminated various areas of the apartment.  Or they could confirm the possibility that someone stayed in the apartment after the McCanns whose career brings them into contact with dead bodies.   Or they could reinforce the possibilty that someone planted cadaver odour in the apartment to frame the McCanns.  Or they could reinforce the possibility that unconcious handler bias can lead to false alerts.  So.....

Of course if we apply Occam's razor to the case of a missing girl...

[Alfie]

Of course if we apply Occam's razor to the case of a missing girl...

What, like in the case of Shannon Matthews for example?

[slartibartfast]

What, like in the case of Shannon Matthews for example?

...until you find something that changes the case.

[Alfie]

...until you find something that changes the case.

If Shannon Matthews had been smuggled out of that apartment and been sent to live with gypsies in Bulgaria never to be seen again then as far as you're concerned the dog alerts would have reinforced the possibility that she was dead.

[Mr Gray]

The dog alerts are evidence.

They are not proof.

Yet still evidence.

they are not evidence...what you are saying is totally untrue

[Mr Gray]

the fact is the sceptics simply do not understand the value of the alerts which means al their conclusions are based on falsehoods

[John]

they are not evidence...what you are saying is totally untrue

Actually, in investigative circles an alert by a cadaver or a CSI dog is deemed to be evidence but as you have correctly pointed out on many occasions, without corroboration they have no evidential reliability. I hasten to add that evidence can take many forms and on its own does not constitute proof of anything.