Madeleine's disappearance - the PJ have doubts, 08 May 2007

Madeleine's disappearance - the PJ have doubts     Several days of interviews   It is May 8th 2007, being the fifth day after Madeleine McCann's disappearance. At this stage, the PJ have taken statements from dozens of people. Hundreds of pages in the reports. Everybody has been interviewed. Employees of the Ocean Club, nannies, or child-care workers from the Kids Club, cooks and assistant cooks at the "Tapas" and the "Millenium", cleaners, gardeners, maintenance workers, managers for the club's various services, directors and managers of the complex, tourists, owners of apartments, neighbours, people who were at the "tapas" on May 3rd 2007, tennis coaches... in short, no one was left out. Everybody was interviewed. We are sparing you all these interviews, which for the most part bring nothing to the investigation or at least no new leads. They are mainly interviews which, in general, bring out the following common points: 1) No one noticed anything unusual about Madeleine. 2) No one noticed any strange individual at the complex. 3) No one noticed anything suspicious which could be linked to Madeleine's disappearance. 4) No one noticed any suspicious vehicles or any suspicious unidentified people. It is to be noted that even the GNR police officers, first on the spot, were interviewed by their PJ colleagues, in spite of reports of the operation being sent. With regards to the PJ's interviews over the past few days, a change is noted in how the case is being perceived. Thus the questions which the PJ are putting to various witnesses are implying that the PJ have doubts about the statements from the parents or friends in the group. We note, however, that the slightest info, concerning the slightest suspicion was professionally checked, immediately. Numerous pages of the case file attest to this. Up to now, May 8th 2007, every lead, or opening of a lead, has been checked and it was, each time, a false lead. Like, for example, a suspicious car noticed near the Ocean Club recpetion by various witnesses. In the end, it was the service vehicle of a Club employee who had come to make an urgent repair to a door lock. Why these doubts for the PJ? On reading various witness statements, given the number of leads checked, it seems difficult for someone to have been able to get into the complex, gain access to the McCanns' apartment, take Madeleine, get out of the apartment, leave the Ocean club, take flight via whatever means of transport and that no one, absolutely no one, saw anything. No strangers, no suspicious or unusual vehicles, not even a shadow of a person carrying a child at the times and places where there were other people... From the police point of view, if these witness statements do not totally exclude the possibility of an abduction, they make the theory less credible. As a result, the answer must lie elsewhere. Notably with the group of friends (parents included). The only person to have seen a suspect with a child is Jane Tanner, a member of the group of friends. Note, for the record, that all the child-care workers, having contact with Madeleine, state that Madeleine introduced herself to them by her shortened name "Maddie". This adds nothing important to the case file except that it contradicts Kate's statements. On the other hand, it is noted that the Kids Club operates three free services, one of which is in the evening until 11.30pm so that parents can eat at the restaurant in peace. Finally, we know that the Club has a, "missing alert" procedure, that it is a structured and thoughtful procedure, and that this procedure was set in motion as soon as Maddie's disappearance was announced, employees having been called from their homes to participate in the search. Interview of an employee from the swimming pool bar In her interview, this employee states that access is restricted to clients and that this is controlled via the client's card at the entrance. She adds that she has not come across any unauthorised person on the site. She explains that on the day of Madeleine's disappearance, at around 8.30pm, her friend was called following a problem with a lock in an apartment situated close to the "Millenium" restaurant. She went there with her friend. At around 9pm, they went back towards the Club's reception. They passed near the "Tapas" and by the McCann family's apartment. They state that they saw nothing suspicious. They saw no one and no vehicles. Her friend left the premises at around 9.10pm with his service vehicle and she left at 9.15pm in her own car.   The case file contains numerous witness statements like that, so that together, these witness statements contradict the statements from the "tapas 9" group. A reconstruction would have made this clear immediately and would have highlighted the contradictions of the informants.

Anomalies in the case file, 22 November 2008

Catriona Baker signs Madeleine out to herself, 'Cat Nanny', at 12:30pm on 02 May 2007 Anomalies in the case file Enfants Kidnappés   22 November 2008 Thanks to 'annaesse' for translation   Since a small part of the case file - the DVD version was made accessible to the public, a great deal of ink has flowed. We note that it is necessary to be cautious as to its contents. In fact, it is only 17% of the complete case file and certain details are only of interest in relation to the complete file and not taken out of their context. You probably know that our team, at the association, is comprised mainly of professionals from the field of police work. As such, we have analysed the case file and from the first pages, we have identified a few anomalies. Thus, the registers from the Kids Club appeared to be incomplete. Certain gaps have not been explained. Thus we note that on May 1st 2007, Madeleine McCann's name is on the Kids Club regsiter. She arrived at 9.30am, dropped off by Gerry. According to the register, Gerry spent the morning playing tennis. He went back to fetch Madeleine at 12.20pm. Where things seem stranger to us is in the entries for the afternoon. Gerry drops Madeleine off at the Kids Club at 2.30pm and he spends his afternoon, again according to the register, playing tennis and at the swimming pool. Oddly, no one went back to fetch Madeleine in the evening! No signature for the evening of May 1st 2007. Why? Why did no one sign the register that evening? Various explanations are possible. It could be imagined that the parents arrived late to pick up Madeleine and that they didn't take the time to sign the register. In that case, why isn't that made clear in the case file? Why is there no mention of this possible lateness? And above all, why were they late? Right in the middle of an investigation into the mysterious disappearance of a little four year-old girl, these details are important. But the anomalies continue the following day. According to the register for May 2nd 2007, the day before Madeleine's disappearance, Kate dropped Maddie off at the Kids Club at 9.20am. Madeleine was picked up at 12.30pm but it's not Kate or Gerry's signature on the register. Someone else has signed the register in the space for parents. The signature of Cat nanny, in other words, CATRIONA BAKER is found there. Here too, you could imagine various explanations. The parents arrived late (once again?) and in a hurry (why?), they didn't sign the register. You could think that they forgot, for the second time, to sign the register. You could imagine that Catriona had finished her shift and as the parents had not yet come to fetch Maddie, Catriona signed the register then took Madeleine to her parents. You could imagine lots of things. But no explanation is provided in the case file. Catriona didn't mention it in her interview, the parents neither. But this kind of detail raises questions that need to be resolved. Too many unanswered questions, too many whys, too many gaps, not enough explanation. These explanations could go in both directions. Thus, the investigators must wonder if Maddie didn't disappear sooner than May 3rd? If she was indeed present at the Kids Club on the afternoon of May 1st? Why didn't anyone sign the register? Was she actually present at the Kids Club on the morning of May 2nd? Why did Catriona sign in the space for parents? Why does Kate's signature on the register for May 2nd seem different from Kate's other signatures? Where were the parents if someone else signed for them? Certainly, these anomalies may only be trivial details, but these details could equally be significant, even fundamental to the investigation. Don't forget we are talking about the disappearance of a little four year-old girl. We cannot allow ourselves to leave these questions unanswered. These anomalies, which are the first of a long series, were communicated to whom they may concern. And it is in referring to the article on SOS Madeleine of November 19th, we discover that a hand-writing report would be necessary. This confirms our suspicions and implicitly confirms certain rumours mentioning forged pieces of writing, forged signatures....manipulated documents...signatures added several days after the date indicated...etc. If this report, that SOS Madeleine speaks of, confirms our suspicions (and the rumours) these details which we have officially revealed, are then clearly less "trivial" !!!! The creche records show no signature for Madeleine for the afternoon of 01 May 2007

Bob Small visits the McCanns at their home, 11 September 2007

Prosecutor passes McCann case file to judge Guardian   James Sturke and agencies  Tuesday September 11 2007 18.32 BST   Excerpt:   Gordon Brown's spokesman said the prime minister did not regret the involvement - including a telephone conversation - he has had with the McCanns.   "He doesn't regret that he has had contacts with them but this is an ongoing police investigation and it would be unwise for me to say anything more," said the spokesman.   Leicestershire police's most senior detective visited the family's home in Rothley today. Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Small spent about an hour with the family at their house before leaving in an unmarked car.   The force refused comment on the visit. A spokeswoman reiterated that it was a Portuguese police investigation.

Bob Small visits the McCanns at their home, 12 September 2007

Judge has ten days to decide if Kate and Gerry McCann should face charges Timesonline   Steve Bird and David Brown in Praia da Luz September 12, 2007   Excerpt:   Yesterday was a day of significant developments that included:   — A visit to the McCanns’ home in Rothley, Leicestershire, by a senior CID officer.   (...)   Detective Chief Superintendent Bob Small, head of Leicestershire CID, spent an hour at the McCanns' home yesterday. The East Midlands force refused to confirm or comment on the visit.

The British police officers, 24 July 2008

The British police officers (Summary of 'The Truth of the Lie', pages 94 to 98) GazetaDigital   Paulo Reis 24/07/2008   The first British police officer to come to PJ headquarters in Portimão, on Saturday, May 5, was Glen Power, liaison officer for the British police, assigned to the British Embassy in Lisbon. Amaral knew him very well and, for a long time, they worked together in many high profile cases related to organised crime. Glen told Amaral that he was "too busy", so he couldn't stay there, Leicestershire police would send a team.   Two days after, British police officers start to arrive. Bob Small, Leicester head of CID came with a colleague. Amaral put one of his inspectors "close" to Bob Small, because, as he wrote, "in Portugal, it's still the dog that wags the tail". After that, another two police officers arrived – family liaison officers, to give psychological support to the family and to work as a "link" between the family and PJ.   But more and more British officers keep coming. The PJ gave them a room, next to their own "crisis room" and the British called it "Task Portugal". Experts in communications, special surveillance teams, profilers, specialist in information analysis, there are "all kind of specialised British police officers." They had access to all information related to the investigation, participated in every meeting and took part in the decision process, as the investigation developed.   On May 14, the McCanns "dismissed" the two family liaison officers, after Kate was "shocked and frustrated" because they asked her where her daughter was. They were in PdL for less than a week. British police told nothing to the PJ, officially, concerning this incident, but Amaral knew it and one of the PJ investigators, who spoke fluent English, was assigned to be the communication "link" with the parents.   A large amount of information came from Leicestershire police. On May 15, Inspector Ricardo Paiva goes to Leicester. But most of that information was "hundreds of daily reports" coming from all over the world, including many psychic messages.   On June 12, Leicestershire's assistant chief constable Chris Eyre and CID head Bob Small went to Faro, for a meeting with Amaral, Luís Neves (head of Serious and Organized Crime Department of PJ, also assigned to the investigation) and Guilhermo Encarnação, the regional PJ director for all Algarve. The idea was to evaluate the level of cooperation between the two police forces.   "We had the feeling that the kidnapping theory was the 'politically correct one', even if other lines of inquiry were still on the table", Amaral wrote, concerning the results of that meeting. "As time went on, we realised that not everybody in Leicestershire police knew how the investigation was developing".

The English policeman who retired from Leicestershire police, 28 July 2008

The English policeman who retired from Leicestershire police TVI   Excerpt from live TVI interview, on 28 July 2008, between Gonçalo Amaral and Paulo Reis. (full interview here)   Thanks to 'astro' for transcription and translation   PR: A while ago, you mentioned an English policeman, a great expert, I suppose you were referring to Mark Harrison who is one of the two or three best British policemen in terms of investigating complex crimes. He was here, he spent a week in Praia da Luz, he rummaged through Praia da Luz, he walked everywhere, the saw the process upside down, he read the entire process, and then he wrote a report in which he concludes that the most likely hypothesis is the child's death, and if I'm correct, he proposes the dogs' coming, right? GA: Exactly. PR: Was he the policeman who also retired, a reference that you made during a press conference? That there was an English policeman who retired. GA: No. PR: Was there an English policeman who also retired? GA: The English policeman who retired is from the Leicester police. Now the reasons I would prefer not to talk about him at the moment. As a matter of fact I'd like to talk to him personally and I don't want him to be pressured so I would reserve myself the right not to comment any further. PR: Just to make this very clear, is that English policeman, Mark Harrison… GA: No, no, no.

McCanns ask for lists of retired or soon-to-retire officers from forces across the country, 09 September 2008

Madeleine McCann: Top British detectives are lined up to join the hunt Telegraph   Some of the country's most experienced police detectives are being approached to join a team to help find Madeleine McCann.   By Ben Farmer Last Updated: 4:46PM BST 09 Sep 2008   The Find Madeleine Fund has asked for lists of suitable retired or soon-to-retire officers from forces across the country.   The fund, which is now being bankrolled by Brian Kennedy, the owner of Sale Sharks rugby team, is understood to have approached several police forces around the country including Greater Manchester.   Madeleine, three, disappeared from the family's apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal during a family holiday in May last year.   Chief Supt Steve Heywood, head of Greater Manchester Police's (GMP) serious crime division, is among those who have been asked to provide a list of officers, while Mr Kennedy is said to have already met former Det Supt Andy Tattersall, who retired from the force last year.   Mr Tattersall co-wrote the A To Z Checklist of Murder Investigation which is used by police forces across the country.   He worked on the investigation into the murder of special branch officer Stephen Oake, stabbed to death by terrorist Kamel Bourgass during a raid in 2003, and was involved in the Jill Dando murder case.   A spokesman for GMP said: "We have given details of some eligible officers or former officers. As far as we are aware, no decision has been made by the fund."   Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for the McCanns, said: "Kate and Gerry McCann, the fund and its backers have always sought to employ or use the very best people and resources in the search for Madeleine.   "If police expertise is potentially available anywhere, the fund and Gerry and Kate would naturally considering using it."

More on the deleted call records, 04 December 2008

More on the deleted call records Gazeta Digital 4.12.2008 Where Was Kate McCann? (*) The CD issued by Ministerio Publico de Portimao in July 2008, contains a great deal of information on the mobile calls made and received by the "Tapas 9" but it is dispersed, difficult to retrieve and with important pages and charts missing. The main documents of interest from the CD are: * A 3 page report by the Policia Judiaria (undated, but probably 4th May 2007) listing call records retrieved from the handsets of Mr and Mrs McCann * A detailed (and excellent report) by Inspector Paulo Dias, Inspector of UNI-Sector de Análise, Lisbon, dated 9th November 2007 * Schedules provided by Vodafone on 14th December 2007 covering a period from 29th April 2007 for Gerald McCann, David Payne, Rachael Mampilly, broken into four separate sections for incoming and outgoing telephone calls, incoming and outgoing SMS traffic * A second report by Inspector Dias dated 5th February 2008, containing time bars, link charts and maps pinpointing where the "Tapas 9's" sets were when they activated antennae * A third report by Inspector Dias dated 2nd June 2008 which includes details of activations of the Luz and other mobile antenna from 28th April 2007 to September 2007 * The Rogatory Letter requests and correspondence dated from 5th December 2007 to May 2007 and responses from the Home Office in April and May 2008 The PJ used a program, called the "Analyst's Notebook" as well as "Excel" to handle what were very large datasets. Inspector Dias pointed out that "Excel" was far from ideal, because of its limited capacity and it seems that much of the data provided was paper based and had to be rekeyed. Also the main focus of the research was limited to the evening of Thursday 3rd May 2007. But, despite the problems, the PJ's work is impressive, innovative and very detailed. For example, there is a brilliant analysis (which unfortunately led nowhere) based on the hypothesis of two abductors each working with mobiles in the Ocean Club area immediately before Madeleine was reported missing. There is another excellent piece of work which tracks down a misrouted call, from Swansea, to Kate McCann at 11.21 on Wednesday 2nd May 2007. However, there are potentially serious omissions: * The most important records were not available when Mr and Mrs McCann attended their "Arguido interviews" on 6th and 7th September 2007 and it is doubtful that they were ever reviewed by the very experienced analysts from the Leicestershire Police, whose team left the Algarve soon after the McCann's return to the UK in September 2007 * There are no detailed call records from the mobile operators for Kate McCann, Russell O'Brien, Matthew Oldfield and Jane Tanner * When the PJ obtained the McCann's mobiles they do not appear to have retrieved deleted data or to extract their contact lists * None of the telecom records show triangulation co-ordinates but are limited to identifying the single primary antenna on which calls were registered * The details of over 50 UK subscribers contacted by the Tapas 9 in the critical period, as well as their onward local and international call records, was included in the Rogatory Letter request in December 2007. If this information was provided, it is not in the CD * A critical link chart (Anexo 37) for Tuesday 1st May 2007 is missing from Inspector Dias's report These omissions make interpretation of the data difficult but what is available provides an interesting picture. First, it is obvious that the memories in the McCann's mobiles were incomplete and, in Kate McCann's case, selectively deleted. Her mobile memory held details of 39 calls from 18.28 on Wednesday 25th April to 16.35 on 27th April 2007. After her arrival in Portugal on 28th April 2007, with the exception of one incoming call on Wednesday 2nd May 2007 at 11.21 (which, very interestingly, was the Swansea "wrong number"), and one call from her husband at 23.17 on Thursday 3rd May 2007, everything else has been "whoosh-clunked" from memory. These deletions could have been accidental, but a high degree of cunning could be implied. Why would she selectively delete everything up to Thursday 3rd May 2007 with the exception of one wrong number and what was her reason for deleting three of the four calls, between 23.14 and 23.17, from her husband on that critical night?. A possible answer is that she wished to avoid alerting the PJ to evidence that details of around 40 calls had been erased and she felt happier leaving something uncontroversial (or misleading) in memory for them to find. Another answer is that, unsurprisingly, she was under the most extreme stress imaginable following the disappearance of her daughter: but why, in that case, give priority to deleting anything. It is the last thing most parents would think about in the circumstances. The first call found in Gerald's mobile memory was timed at 00.30 on Friday 4th May 2007. Again matching antenna records to memory suggests that by the time he gave the handset to the PJ the records of 24 calls or SMSs had been erased, including the one from him found on his wife's handset and timed at 23.17 on Thursday 3rd May 2007. It appears that he had deleted details of the four calls he made to her that night and she deleted just three. It was this simple discrepancy that first led the PJ to suspect interference with the handsets. If the deletions were deliberate (and it is an "if") it implies the McCann's were both "forensically aware" and crafty and wanted to hide something from the PJ. For this reason, it is important to explore the call record data and to match it against other evidence. On Saturday 28th April 2007, after their arrival in Luz, Kate McCann's mobile triggered the antenna 9 times. It is not possible to say, from the available records, whether these were incoming or outgoing calls or SMSs or for how long they lasted. The last activations were at 20.55 and 20.59 when (based on their statements) the Tapas 9 returned for an early night after eating at the Millennium Restaurant with their children. All of these records were erased from the memory of Kate McCann's mobile. Gerald McCann's mobile did not activate any of the Luz antennae that day. On Sunday 29th April 2007, the first activation of Kate McCann's mobile was at 9.23, but again there are no Vodafone logs or time bars to provide further detail. However, by internally matching the antenna records it appears that she called her husband at 12.26 and 17.02. The crèche records indicate that he collected Madeleine at 12.15. He also picked up the twins around 17.00 but mistakenly recorded the time as "12.30". Chances are that the calls from Kate McCann were to check that he had picked up the kids. At 10.13 Gerald McCann received a call from a UK mobile xxxxx3899. The last activation by Kate McCann's mobile was at 19.30 and Gerald's at 17.02. A pattern on this sheet (and it applies to all of the Tapas 9) is that no activations took place at any time during the week while they were at dinner. So maybe Clarence Mitchell was right, after all, and that they were so "into each other" that they didn't want to be disturbed while sardine munching and left their mobiles in their rooms. They were never specifically asked this question, but it is very important and the point will be addressed later. On Monday 30th April 2007, neither of the McCann's telephones activated the Luz transmitters. This looks very odd, especially as they were around the Ocean Club to shuffle the kids to and from the crèches. On this afternoon, Madeleine remained in the crèche for only 15 minutes and was picked up by her mother at 15.30. We do not know what Madeleine did for the rest of the day, but it is possible she was being fractious. Interestingly, a friend of Mrs and Mr McCann supposedly told the "Dispatches" team that made a TV program on the tragedy, that "Madeleine was a screamer". This could be interpreted in one of two ways, but any use of the past tense in referring to Madeleine would be very significant. It was such a past tense referral, to her supposedly living children, that alerted the FBI to their murder by Susan Smith, their mother. On Tuesday 1st May 2007, Gerald McCann's handset was silent all day. Kate McCann's mobile first activated the Luz antenna at 10.16, but all details of the day's calls have been deleted from the handset and there is no nothing in the CD from her mobile provider. Another activation took place at 12.17. The crèche records show that Gerald McCann picked up Madeleine at 12.20 (a bit earlier than usual) but Kate McCann’s call at 12.17 does not appear to have been to him, (because his mobile was not activated at all that day). Kate McCann dealt with her last call before leaving for the Tapas Bar at 20.35. At around 8.45pm on Tuesday 1st May 2007, Miss Nejoua Chekeya, the Ocean Club's busty Aerobics Instructor, held a "Quiz Night" and was later invited, allegedly by Gerald McCann, to join his table which she did sometime between 9.30pm and 9.50pm. She did not say how long she had remained with them, but she is not the sort of woman men would wish see to leave too quickly. Miss Chekeya stated that one dinner setting was unused and that she could not remember seeing Kate McCann. However, both Jane Tanner and Russell O'Brien have stated that he did not go to the Tapas Bar on the "Quiz Night" (ie Tuesday 1st May 2007), but had stayed in their room looking after his sick daughter. Jane Tanner took his dinner to the room; thus explaining the unused plate setting. Russell O'Brien was not asked by either the Policia Judiciaria or Leicestershire Police whether he had heard Madeleine crying! Kate McCann's mobile was next activated six times, in rapid fire, between 22.16 and 22.27, after she had returned to Apartment 5A after dinner. The antenna traffic proves that these calls were not made to any of the "Tapas 9". The evidence from the call logs gives the strongest clue that the "Tapas 9" left their telephones in their rooms when they went to dinner. Clarence Mitchell, the McCann's spokesperson, confirmed this. In an interview, reported on 6th April 2008 by Ned Temko of "The Guardian", Mr Mitchell said: "You had nine people in a bar without watches on, without mobile phones and absolute panic set in when they realised what had happened…. We would say that, if the police had a perfect time line across nine people, that would be a damn sight more suspicious than the fractured, illogical, composite statements they might have got" Mrs Fenn, the McCann's neighbour, reported that Madeleine had cried for her father between 22.30 and 23.45. The evidence shows that Kate McCann was in Apartment 5A 14 minutes before Madeleine started crying. Tuesday 1st May 2007 is the only night (except, of course, for Thursday 3rd May 2007) that either of the McCanns or any of their friends made calls after dinner. Mrs McCann volunteered to the PJ that on the night of Wednesday 2nd May 2007, she had slept in the spare bed in her children's room because her husband had not paid her enough attention over dinner. Or put another way, does she mean the amorous Scot was paying someone else (like Miss Chekeya) too much attention, causing her to stomp out of the Tapas Bar before him: ultimately leading to the spare bed in a strop? Gerald McCann said he thought the reason his wife had slept in the children's bedroom was because of his snoring and that he did not even bother asking her the following morning what the problem was. Could it be that their timings are wrong by 24 hours and that Kate McCann's nocturnal shenanigans took place on the night of Tuesday 1st May 2007? It would fit, but why be untruthful about it? A possible reason is that they wanted to conceal both Kate McCann's state of mind and the fact that she had returned to Apartment 5A, just before Madeleine's cried for help. On Wednesday 2nd May 2007, Kate McCann called her friend "Amanda" at 7.36.41 and again at 7.36.45. This was around two hours earlier than any of mobile activations on any other morning: so Kate McCann was "up with the larks". Amanda returned the calls at 7.50. There is no record of how long any of these calls lasted or whether they were SMSs. They were all deleted from memory. At 8.07 Gerald McCann received a call from the SMS message centre (447818520047), but does not appear to have responded. At 8.50 Kate McCann received a call from a UK mobile xxxxx27010 and returned it at 8.53, before going to play tennis. Gerald McCann received a series of calls from his SMS message centre between 9.10 and 10.47, again without response. At 11.21 Kate received a call from what appears to be a landline in Swansea ( xxxxx0023). The report by Inspector Dias researched this call in detail (Page 21 in his report of 9th November 2007) and discovered that it had not activated any of the Luz antennae. But digging deeper, he found that another UK mobile (xxxxx 1583) had triggered the Luz antenna when connecting to the same Swansea number at 14.01. He dug even deeper, tracked all of the calls made from Luz by xxxx1583 and established it had no connection whatsoever with any of the "Tapas 9". The Swansea call to Kate McCann was simply a "wrong number", misrouted and thus not logged by the Luz antennae. What Inspector Dias did not realise was that the Swansea call had become so special to Kate McCann that, when deleting all of the other Portuguese call records from memory, she decided to leave this one intact. Gerald received five further calls from the SMS message centre and at 15.50 called 91121, probably to collect his messages. He received further calls from the centre at 17.49 and 19.49. The records provided by Vodafone show these calls but that they originate from a different mobile number (0xxxx014310) At 20.08 Kate McCann received two calls from a UK mobile xxxx7624 and six minutes late Gerald McCann called 91121: again to collect messages before he left for the Tapas Bar. This was the last activation of the day by either of the McCanns; probably confirming that their mobiles remained in Apartment 5A when they went to dinner. On Thursday 3rd May 2007 (the critical day) at 8.23 and 8.24 Kate McCann's mobile activated the antenna to call xxxx7624. There is nothing in file to indicate the owner of this mobile but it does not appear to be any of the McCann family or friends. At 12.24 Gerald McCann received a call from a UK Mobile xxxx1746. Again there is no clue in the file to the subscriber's name. At 12.31 Kate McCann received a call (or SMS) from her mother's mobile and responded an hour later. Neither of the McCanns appears to have had any further activity on their telephones until after Madeleine was reported missing when Gerald McCann called his wife four times between 23.14 and 23.52. At 23.40 he called his sister – Trish Cameron and at 23.52 -Janet Kennedy. The batch of SMS messages received by Gerald McCann on Wednesday 2nd May 2007 seems to have caused him some anxiety. Although the number "07818520047" is in a block allocated to Vodafone, the company has no record of the subscriber's name. When the number is dialed, connection is made to a recorded message which explains that changes have been made to the way customers can access their mailboxes and that they can now dial "121" from their handset or "07836121121" from any other telephone. Thus the number appears to be a message box for Gerald McCann that sends him an SMS when his mobile is unable to accept a call (because it is out of range or turned off). However, when he was asked by "Expresso TV" on 6th September 2008 about the "sixteen SMS messages" received, he flustered: "No one has ever asked to see any of my text messages. There is no way that there 16 messages on that day or even the day after, you know. You know, the day after, you know that we got..." Kate McCann came to his rescue and interrupted; "Gerry hardly ever sends text messages until the day after, the day after Madeleine was taken". Gerald McCann continued: "so you know that it is actually rubbish" Their McCann's denials were, of course, technically true although perhaps disingenuous - because there were only 14 messages received on the day before they reported Madeleine missing and two on the day after. There were 16 SMS messages, in total, so why prevaricate and deny an allegation that was never made. The question was about received messages, not those sent, and on the day before not on 3rd May 2007 or the day after! In the field of forensic linguistics you must always concentrate on the precise wording of denials and especially on those of allegations not made. The denials made by the McCanns are suspicious. However, Mrs McCann's statement about her husband not sending SMS messages, until after Madeleine's disappearance, is confirmed by Vodafone's records. Mr and Mrs McCann were never closely questioned by the PJ about the detail of their calls, but Gerald McCann excused the deletions by saying that his telephone's memory only retained details of the last ten calls made. This obvious inaccuracy (It already had retained details of 17 calls) does not appear to have been challenged by the PJ and it does not in anyway explain the selective deletions from his wife's handset. So the bottom line is that Kate McCann was in Apartment 5A when Madeleine cried for her father between 22.30 and 23.45 on Tuesday 1st May 2007, leading to a unique flurry of late night calls and to unique calls very early the following morning. A forensic examination of the records of Madeleine's attendance at the "Lobsters" crèche on Wednesday 2nd and Thursday 3rd May 2007 is critically important because if they have been falsified, to establish she was there when she was not, this case takes on an entirely new dimension and sets different search parameters. Secondly, if the memories of the mobile telephones were deleted in way suspected, a level of cunning is implied that would be capable of conceiving plan to deliberately delay reporting Madeleine's "disappearance"; if for no other reason than to disassociate it from the crying incident on Tuesday 1st May 2007. Of course, this is speculation and it is entirely possible that further investigation and the much awaited transparency by Mr and Mrs McCann will totally exonerate them. But why don't they simply produce the SMS messages and explain why call details were deleted? By Paulo Reis and associates (*) This report is a result of cooperation with a leading international investigative firm that is in the closing stages of an 18 month intensive investigation that is expected to reopen the case in Portugal and to start new proceedings in the UK.

Jane Tanner's statement of 08 April 2008, 07 December 2008

Jane Tanner's statement of 08 April 2008 Enfants Kidnappés 07 December 2008 Thanks to 'AnnaEsse' for translation   Taped interview. The events took place at the beginning of April 2008. Each member of the group known as the "Tapas 7" was interviewed by the British authorities. The request was made, as I am sure you remember, by the Portuguese authorities. The purpose of their new interviews was to update the inconsistencies and above all to see the changes from each member in comparison with their previous statements. This is important, because from the PJ's point of view one or several members of the group were lying in their statements. We are in the middle of an investigation concerning the disappearance or abduction or killing (murder or not) of a little innocent four year-old girl: Madeleine. To this end, it is totally inconceivable to allow witnesses, who could at any time become suspects, to read, even only to skim through, their previous statements. It was like this, however, that their mock interviews took place, to the detriment of the most fundamental code of ethics, trampling underfoot the search for the truth. Poor Madeleine.

The newspaper articles that made it into the PJ police files, 02 January 2009

The newspaper articles that made it into the PJ police files Daily Express (no online link)   Nigel Moore 02 January 2009 Thanks to 'ShuBob' for Express newspaper copies   The PJ police files contain a report which was sent from a Detective Constable of Leicestershire police to the PJ in Portugal, and also emailed to Task Portugal (the name for the British police investigation team set up in Portugal). The report, which principally highlighted two 'SMS' messages sent by Jane Tanner - at 8.30pm on the night of May 3rd and at 9.04am the following morning - also attached a copy of pages 1 and 7 from the Daily Express of Wednesday 22 August 2007.   But what was so important about those particular articles that warranted them being sent by Leicestershire police to both the Portuguese and British investigating teams?   Front Cover (page 1)/page 7: Click to enlarge Click to enlarge MADELEINE   NOW POLICE TELL PARENTS: DON'T LEAVE PORTUGAL   From Martin Evans in Praia da Luz Wednesday August 22, 2007   THE parents of missing Madeleine McCann have been advised to stay in Portugal after police said a major breakthrough was imminent.   Kate and Gerry McCann revealed last week that they were planning to return home.   But now they have been told they should remain on the Algarve because the investigation is at a crucial stage.   It was widely expected that the McCanns would leave Praia da Luz and return home to Rothley in Leicestershire in the middle of next month. Their decision was said to be based on financial pressure and concern over the welfare of their two-year-old twins, Sean and Amelie.   But after hearing they were set to leave, Portuguese detectives contacted the couple to reassure them that developments were expected at any time.   A police source said: "There is nothing to stop the McCanns going home. They are not suspects but we have told them it is not good timing because the investigation has changed. It is active now in assuming that Madeleine is dead." Gerry,   TURN TO PAGE 7   *   Parents told to stay as police close in on killer   FROM PAGE 1   39, had been due to travel to Edinburgh on Friday to speak at the annual television festival. But he has put his plans on hold after hearing that there could be a breakthrough at any time.   The advice to stay put came as the Portuguese police gave a rare official assurance that the investigation was nearing completion.   Chief Inspector Olegario Sousa, spokesman for the Policia Judiciaria, said he had a very "positive feeling" about the case.   He said the picture of what happened to Madeleine after she was abducted from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz was becoming clear.   But officers are still waiting to hear from a British forensic laboratory which is analysing blood specks found in the McCanns' holiday flat.   Police are expected to launch a series of fresh searches once the results of the tests are confirmed.   It is understood detectives have isolated one single piece of forensic evidence which they are confident will give them the final piece in the jigsaw.   Mr Sousa said: "We are still waiting for that result from the laboratory in Birmingham.   "The things that could happen depend on the decisions of the group investigating the case." A spokesman for the Forensic Science Service in Birmingham, which is carrying out the analysis of eight samples of evidence, refused to say when the results might be released.   Mr Sousa said: "We have already said that all the lines are still open.   "Even our director said that we haven't enough information to make the picture of what happened that night. But we do have a positive feeling on this."   He added: "I am confident my police colleagues will reach the end of the investigation."   Mr Sousa also revealed that detectives believe more than one person was involved in the abduction of Madeleine. He said: "It's natural that in a crime of this nature more than one person took part.   "If it was committed by only one person, it would be even more difficult to resolve the case because he or she is the only person who knows what they did."   He added: "In order to resolve this case it will be necessary to have more suspects."   Mr Sousa denied claims that the McCanns had ever been under suspicion and condemned rumours that their phone calls and e-mails had been monitored.   He said: "To install a telephone listening device the person must be a suspect, and the McCanns are not. They are victims, so it would be totally illegal."   Meanwhile, Kate and Gerry spoke of their continuing heartache.   In an interview with a Spanish newspaper, Kate admitted she had tried to consider what life would be like without Madeleine.   She said: "I know that life will not be the same. She is a huge part of our life, a lively, outgoing little girl with a good sense of humour who brought joy to a lot of people."   She added: "It seems too awful to be real. Somebody, somewhere knows something, or someone close to someone knows something. It just takes one person to make that call."   *   Madeleine smear target   'These smears are just ludicrous'   By Martin Evans and Cyril Dixon   A FRIEND of Madeleine McCann's parents was at the centre of a vicious smear campaign yesterday over the four-year-old's disappearance.   Russell O'Brien, who was on holiday with Kate and Gerry McCann when their daughter went missing, has become the subject of speculation in Portugal.   Reports there have hinted the father-of-two is now the main suspect in the case, and have claimed there are inconsistencies in his version of events on the night Madeleine went missing.   They also allege Dr O'Brien, 36, who had been dining with the McCanns at their holiday complex, was in fact absent for most of the meal.   Dr O'Brien, whose partner Jane Tanner is a key witness in the investigation, has said he will do everything in his power to defend his reputation.   The couple said in a statement: "These reports in the Portuguese press are completely untrue and extremely hurtful. We have spoken to the police today, and have been assured that our status as witnesses has not been changed.   "We just hope that the police's considerable efforts to find Madeleine are successful."   Dr O'Brien told friends he was disgusted by the allegations. He said to them: "I will robustly defend my reputation. I'd bend over backwards to get Madeleine back home safely."   Rachael Oldfield, who was also with the McCanns at the holiday complex in Praia da Luz, said of the reports: "It is just ludicrous. He is a lovely bloke. It is a total smear."   Dr O'Brien became friends with Gerry McCann when they worked together at a hospital in Leicester. He moved to Exeter to take up a new post before going on holiday to Praia da Luz.   The Diario de Noticias daily newspaper claimed police sources had said: "A British suspect, from Exeter, who is a friend of the family, will be detained at any moment."   But yesterday Portuguese police spokesman Oligaro Sousa said: "Officially there is only one suspect."   One newspaper claimed Dr O'Brien had been missing between 8.30pm and 10pm on the evening Madeleine disappeared and returned just minutes before Kate McCann found her daughter had gone.   But Mrs Oldfield insisted he had only been away for minutes at a time as he checked on his children. It has also been reported that one of his children had been unwell.   Dr O'Brien was one of the members of the McCann party who told police they saw Robert Murat, the official suspect in the case, outside the little girl's apartment around the time of the abduction.   A report in the Sol newspaper claimed the police had become interested in Dr O'Brien's movements after it emerged that Murat had also been in Exeter days before Madeleine was kidnapped.

A Little Bit of Insight, 17 April 2009

A Little Bit of Insight Joana Morais   By Astro 17 April 2009   While we're waiting for the second round of the 'Maddie documentary war', I thought I might as well offer a little bit of insight into what happened at the Ocean Club that night, hoping that maybe the upcoming British version of events might like to include some details that were not reported by the British media. Any self-respecting documentary likes to present one or two pieces of new information to the public – and for the vast majority of the British public, this is indeed new information.   Now you're thinking, what's this all about? How can anyone who wasn't there, that night, offer an insight into the events? Well, I certainly wasn't there – but others were, and through their witness statements, much can be learned about the chain of events, namely after the alarm to Madeleine's disappearance was raised.   Unfortunately, we don't have independent witnesses of whatever happened between 5.30 and 10 p.m. in apartment 5A at the Ocean Club, on the 3rd of May 2007. But we do have at least one independent witness who, because of her professional position and her language skills, had the privilege to witness certain actions and behaviours and phrases, that night.   But don't take it from me. Instead, read what Silvia Batista, then a manager at the Ocean Club, told the police on the 26th of July 2007, in her third statement to be included in the process files that were publicly released: "Concerning the matter of the process, the witness said: That she has given statements for several times within the process, and remembers the contents of what she stated before, therefore reproducing the contents of the previous statements into this statement. The deponent offers another statement because with the passage of time, since Madeleine's disappearance, she has remembered some details of the facts that she witnessed, which she considers of some interest to the investigation. Like she said before, she was alerted to Madeleine's disappearance between 10.30 and 11 p.m. She was at home and was informed about the event through a telephone call. She immediately went to the Ocean Club, where she arrived only minutes before the GNR officers. When she arrived at the resort, she went immediately to apartment 5A, where she met several persons both on the inside and on the outside of the apartment. She went into the apartment but left it right away without speaking to anyone, because she was informed that the GNR officers were at the main reception, so she went to meet them. When she arrived near the GNR officers, she verified that Gerry, Madeleine's father, was behind her, in the company of another individual whose identity she doesn't remember. At that moment, Gerry placed both knees on the floor, hit the floor with both hands, too, placing himself like a praying Arab, and shouted out twice in rage, and it was not possible to understand what he said. Then Gerry got back on his feet and accompanied the deponent and the other individual who was in the GNR car, to apartment 5A. Already on location, the deponent entered the apartment and asked those who were present both for the passports of all family members and photographs of the missing person. The deponent walked Gerry to the GNR car, so he could deliver the requested documents. She states that she carried out these diligences, and other diligences, at the request of the GNR Commander as they used the deponent’s knowledge of the English language to translate the questions that were asked from the missing person's family members, and the answers that were given. She remembers that Gerry gave the GNR Commander several photographs of the missing person. These were postcard-type photographs, taking their size and shape into account. They were actually photographs of the size and shape of a postcard, and they seemed to be all similar to her. She also realised that from the very first moment on, both Gerry and the rest of the group members insisted in stating that Madeleine had been abducted, all of them using the word "abducted" instead of missing, and they all showed interest in informing the press about the situation. The deponent further recalls that she entered the room where Madeleine had been sleeping. She now remembers that the door was closed. The inside of the room was dark. The shutters were down, and light entered only through its holes. The windows were closed and the curtains slightly open. Gerry, who accompanied the deponent during this visit, with the GNR officers also present, said that it had been him who had closed the window because the babies were still sleeping inside, which the deponent could verify as true. Gerry mentioned that when he noticed that Madeleine was missing, he had found the window and shutters open, and the curtains fluttering. The deponent recalls that the cots that were used by the babies were placed in the middle of the room and aligned, and therefore she found it strange that someone could have taken Madeleine from the bed where she was sleeping up to the window, because there was no space to get through. The deponent opened the bedroom's wardrobe to check if eventually Madeleine was hiding inside. Then they all left the room, and someone closed its door again. The deponent remained in the living room for a while, with the GNR officers, Gerry and the other group members that were there in a frenzy, going in and out and speaking on their mobile phones. She noticed that none of the group members, including the child's mother and father were busy looking for her. The mother was sitting on the master bedroom's bed, the father accompanied the deponent and the GNR officers and the other group members walked in and out and spoke on the phone, apparently concerned about informing the press about the event. She thought that the child's mother was downbeat with the situation, the father showed his concern and also asked both for the press to be alerted and for dogs to be brought in for the search. Concerning the others, she can only recall that Fiona and her husband, Payne, were hysterical about the situation. At a given moment, right after the PJ's elements arrived, the child's parents removed the twins from the cots where they still slept, and took them into the apartment on the first floor. At Kate's request, the deponent removed the soft toys and a blanket from the cots, and also took them to the first floor. The babies' cots were left only with the mattresses. The deponent also wishes to mention that at around 3 a.m. Madeleine's parents asked for the presence of a priest on location. They didn't explain the reason why they wanted a priest, but the deponent found the fact strange as there were no indications that the little girl was dead, and that's the circumstance under which usually the presence of a priest is requested. At a given moment, the deponent translated the deposition from one of the ladies that belonged to the group of English people, namely one that she indicates as being a brunette. This lady told the GNR officers, and the deponent translated, that she had seen a man crossing the road, possibly carrying a child. The deponent found that situation strange because she was convinced that when she saw this man, the lady was positioned in a spot that has no viewing angle to the location where she had seen the man. She doesn't know exactly where the lady was positioned when she saw the man passing by, but she knows that she indicated that she saw him passing on the street that lies in front of the window to the bedroom where Madeleine was, walking into the direction of the street that leads to the Baptista supermarket. When questioned about the clothes that the English group members wore that night, she mentions that she only remembers that Fiona wore a green blouse, Gerry wore a dark coloured shirt, and Fiona's husband wore light-coloured trousers, she thinks cream-coloured. And she stated nothing further." Witness statement of Silvia M C R Batista, 26.07.2007, page 1975 of process 221/07.0GALGS

Witness statement of the Tapas waiter, 07 September 2007

Witness statement of the Tapas waiter   Thanks to 'Ines' for translation   Processos Vol XI Pages 2941-2944   Witness Statement   R** A** d*** L*** O***   Date: 2007.09.07   Having already given a statement to this process, he confirms what is already on record, a copy of which is made available for this investigation.   That he comes to the process as a witness and with the hope that he may help in the localisation of the child Madeleine Beth McCann, missing since the 3rd May, 2007, Praia da Luz, Lagos.   Questioned if he was the person who called the reception to tell them that a child had gone missing, he states that he cannot definitively remember if he did or not. He admits that he could have been the one to call.   Clarifies that on that night when he took the dinner orders, the entire group was seated. He remembers that there were nine adults - four men and five women. He did not notice any strange behaviour on their part.   Asked to describe the positions in which the group sat, he states that he can only recall that of the taller man (Russell), as he saw him leave the table, and the older woman, who remained seated after the rest of the group had left the table. Russell, he notes, was seated looking toward the front of the apartments and the older woman occupied a seat that was more or less facing away from the apartments. He is not able to describe the group's clothing that night.   He states that on that night, after having received the orders, he went into the bar. Immediately, he put two white wine and two red wine bottles, along with a bottle of water, on the table. He cannot be sure that he served more wine that night. The appetiser/starters were served by one of his colleagues. After 25 to 30 minutes, it was the witness who served the main dishes. He remembers that at this moment, the taller male, whom he now knows to be Russell, had left the table. He did not know where he had gone. The witness was asked to keep Russell's meal warm. After a certain amount of time (he is not able to be exact), he was asked to serve Russell, who had returned to the table. He remembers that the rest of the group had practically finished their main courses. Asked if he remembers having seen all the elements of the group at this time, he cannot remember exactly. He also cannot state the length of time Russell was away from the table. The witness states that he had already served all the clients of the bar and for this reason, believes that Russell was away for some time.   He served Russell and shortly thereafter, he was alerted to strange movements in the restaurant perimeters. He refers to the movements of two men from said group - David Payne and Matthew, who appeared to be searching the gardens the areas near the bar. The witness went to the esplanade zone and saw that the table that had previously been occupied by nine adults was now occupied only by the older woman, called Dianne Webster. It was also at this time that he saw that Russell's food was only half eaten and that the others had all finished their dinner.   David Payne and Matthew were nervously searching the area.   The witness went to them, he does not remember which one, and asked what was happening. One of them responded to the witness in English stating "GIRL IS MISSING" - that a child had gone missing. After a few moments, around 5 or 10 minutes, he heard screaming from the apartment zone and saw a woman on the balcony of 5 A. He did not understand what she was saying. As it was night, and given the distance from the Tapas bar to the apartment, he was not able to determine if there was someone else next to the woman on the balcony. At that moment his colleague, Joe, met up with him and asked the witness to call the police, and that a child has gone missing and could not be found. Immediately afterwards, Joe left toward the street. He does not know who gave this information to Joe but the witness (or his colleague who believes the witness did so) called the reception asking them to inform the police.   Questioned, he affirms that the group would normally consist of nine people (including Madeleine's parents), and would normally dine around 20H30 and 20H40. They would not all arrive at once and before they all arrived, some would have cocktails. On the day of the disappearance, all were seated at the table between 20H35 and 20H45. He remembers them arriving as usual. Had they arrived late, this would have been noted by the staff. He does not remember if they were served cocktails. When they were all together, the group sat at the table, he took their orders, including the starters. As already mentioned, on this occasion, he would immediately take two white and two red bottles of wine and one bottle of water to the table. Their main courses would normally be ready 25 to 30 minutes after their order—a time they used to consume the starters. After starters, the group would normally spend about 15 minutes finishing the main course. Generally, during dinner, he would serve four bottles of wine (two white and two red), which the group completely consumed. On that day, he did not serve any more wine. It was also normal for certain members of the group to order dessert. After this, they would normally stay at the table until after 23H00 but would always leave before 00H00, the time when the bar closed. One or more of them, on another night, asked for an after-dinner drink. He remembers this clearly because they asked for Amareto and the bar did not stock it.   The witness served almond bitters to all. He remembers that this happened on Wednesday. He does not remember if they had more after-dinner drinks. He does remember that on Wednesday, certain elements of the group got up, with their after-dinner drinks, and headed to the bar and stayed there until about 00H00/00H10. This was the only night where the group elements were in the bar after closing. He also remembers that they would normally be the last clients to leave. Wednesday was the last night they were at the bar after dinner.   When questioned, he states that his colleague Joe is of British nationality and that he left at the end of August to go and live with his parents in England.   And nothing more was said.   Reads, ratifies, signs.

Quick links for timelines/interviews on this page

Timelines for 03 May 2007 (based on these interviews and other available information)   Madeleine Kate McCann Gerry McCann   Comparsion of statements   Tapas restaurant staff   First interviews on 05/06/07 May 2007   Catriona Baker/Stacey Portz (informal interviews, 05 May 2007) Catriona Baker (formal interview, 06 May 2007) Lindsay Jayne J. (Kids Club manager, 06 May 2007) Charlotte Pennington (Ocean Club nanny, 07 May 2007)   Interview with Leicestershire Police on 14 April 2008   Catriona Baker

Please note: Translations which appear below have gone through 3 separate translations: From original spoken English into Portuguese text (with a different translator used for each interview), from Portuguese into French (by a Belgian) and finally from French back into English.   As a result, some passages are difficult to follow and question marks could be raised as to their reliability.

Ongoing summary of the 11,000-page PJ case file, issued to journalists on 04 August 2008

Excerpts from the 11,000-page case files kidnapping.be (French language site)   Volume 1 - cover sheet   The first page of the report reveals nothing special. It is the traditional cover sheet for all police reports. The classification of the offence is found here: Abduction. The date of the events is here, 03/05/07, the file number, as well as the squad that intervened, the 4th squad. Finally, in addition to the names of the inspectors, there is a brief run-down of the facts.   Disappearance of a minor. The Praia GNR patrol were informed of the disappearance of a child, sex female, nationality English. According to GNR officers the call was made at 22h40 and the little girl disappeared from a ground floor apartment at the Ocean Club where a family with children was staying. The layout of the apartment comprises two bedrooms, a kitchen, a lounge and a bathroom. The apartment has easy public access. During dinner, the couple visited the children's bedroom several times. During one of these visits, the mother noticed that her daughter wasn't there and raised the alarm in order to find her. Faced with these facts and by higher decision, the PJ's duty team was advised, and they immediately started on various avenues of research.   Volume 1 - Page 2   This is the start of the police report itself. The PJ will identify the parents and give a brief outline of the evening's course of events.   The first part of the document clearly identifies the parents, giving their full names, their dates of birth, their passport numbers, their telephone numbers, as well as their exact address. You will understand that these records cannot be published. No one needs to know the parents' telephone number.   The report continues: The missing minor is identified as Madeleine Beth McCann, born 12/05/2003. In addition to the missing minor, the couple have two other children, twins aged two years. The two children were also in the bedroom where the missing minor, Madeleine, was sleeping. In our conversation with Mr Gerald Patrick McCann, it was possible to establish that: The family had been at the Ocean Club since April 28th 2007 for a week. From 29/04/2007, they began to dine (he and his wife) at an Ocean Club restaurant while their children remained a few metres from the restaurant, in their bedroom. They had the habit of dining in the said restaurant with friends, three couples. On the date of the events, they got up at 07h30 in the morning and had breakfast in the apartment.   09h00: They left the apartment and left their children at the Ocean Cub crèche where the Ocean Club staff looked after the children until 12h30.   After lunch, towards 14h40, they again placed the children in the said crèche, where they stayed until around 17h00.   Towards 17h30, the parents bathed the children, gave them something to eat and towards 19h30 the three children were put to bed in the same bedroom of the apartment.   At 20h30 the couple headed for the restaurant.   Towards 21h05/21h15 GERALD (the father) went to see the children in their bedroom. He saw the door half-open. He found that strange. He had the idea that he had closed it properly. Nevertheless, he went in and he saw the three children. The shutters were closed.   At 21h20, JANE, a friend, passed close to the apartment, at the side of the building and saw a person with a child in his arms going down the main road. However, she did not recognise this person, or the child. She could only say that the man must have been between 30 and 40 years old and that he had dark hair and light-coloured trousers.   At 21h30, a friend, MATT, only went to the rear of the apartment towards the lounge window. He didn't go in and only saw the twins asleep. He did not notice anything strange.   At 22h00, KATE, the mother, was confronted with the disappearance of MADELEINE BETH MCCANN. She noticed that the window, as well as the shutters, was wide open.   Then, the report, via the Ocean Club's director, identifies the employees on duty. The report also states that the police have a copy of the register of comings and goings of children at the crèche on 03/05/07. The report states that:   It is advisable to report that before the arrival of the police patrol, various people were already in the apartment. People who could have contaminated that space. It is also to be noted that the GNR officers carried out various searches around the apartment in order to locate any missing person. However, these searches were fruitless. A photographic report was done. The parents gave a photo of the minor: MADELEINE BETH MCCANN.   The photo of Madeleine given by the parents is intended to show the little girl and to allow clear identification. The photo used is shown below:

Tapas restaurant staff interviews on 04 May 2007

Jeremy Wilkins (short statement) and Tapas restaurant staff interviews on 04 May 2007   We are still on the day after Madeleine's disappearance, May 4th 2007. The next folder in the case file contains the statements of members of the "TAPAS" restaurant staff and statements volunteered by....   JEREMY WILKINS   Following various informal conversations related to the area of research, we were contacted by a British citizen named Jeremy Michael Wilkins, holder of passport no. 205...., owner of mobile phone no. +44788...., living in ....London. He spends his holidays at, "WATERSIDE GARDENS," block G, about 50 metres from the apartment where the small child was. He told us that yesterday, between 20h30 and 21h00, while he was in the "TAPAS" restaurant, he noted that a person of around 1.70m, with long blonde hair, apparently of the "Rasta," style and dressed in green military-style clothes, entered the restaurant. This person did not stay very long. His behaviour was somewhat strange and he seemed to be rather nervous. He was alone, he did not speak to anyone and left soon afterwards. The informant maintains that he has never seen this person in the village. Note: The "TAPAS" bar is annexed to the restaurant where Madeleine's parents were dining during her alleged disappearance. TAPAS Today we went to the "TAPAS" restaurant, owned by the OCEAN CLUB in Praia da Luz, where we collected statements from several employees. The subject of the statements was focused on little Madeleine McCann's disappearance as well as the behaviour of people in the group who dined in the same restaurant and who come from the same country as the missing child and on a suspicious person with blonde, "Rasta," locks. JERONIMO TOMAS RODRIGUES S. Bar employee: He saw the missing child, Madeleine McCann, for the last time, yesterday at around 16h45 at the restaurant. He didn't notice whether anyone from the group of British citizens - 8 or 9 in number - who dined at the restaurant yesterday (of which the child's parents were members) was absent during dinner.   He saw a, "walkie-talkie," placed on the group's table, which was being used to monitor children at a distance. He did not see anyone at all with blonde "Rasta," locks on the night he was working. SVETLANA S. V. Russian citizen - kitchen assistant: She reports that yesterday, someone whom she believes to be the father of the missing child, left the table where he was dining with a group of friends (8 or 9 in number) for around 30 minutes. On his return, a woman, whom she believes to be the wife of the latter, left the table in her turn, and after a very short time, all the guests left the table with the exception of an older lady who told the informant's colleagues that the child had disappeared. During the whole time she was working, between 14h30 and 23h00, she didn't see anyone with blonde, "Rasta," locks.   MIGUEL S.C.   Cook: He does not know the small child or her parents. All he knows is that they are part of a group of British citizens who usually dine at the "TAPAS". As he works in the kitchen, he rarely goes into the dining room. He saw nothing in particular. He didn't see anyone with blonde "Rasta" locks while he was working (14h30 - 23h00).   JOACQUIM JOSE M.B.   Dining room waiter: Of the group of 8/9 British citizens who dined in the restaurant yesterday, as they usually do, a group which the missing child's parents are part of, he noticed that only two people, men, left the table.   The first to be away was around 40 to 45 years old (tall, slim, white, hair greying) and he left the table for around 15 minutes. He remembers this because he had to reheat his meal, which had gone cold. The second (around 40 to 45 years old, with similar characteristics to the first, but with less hair and thinner hair) was away for around 30 minutes.   Shortly after he returned, the whole group left the table, with the exception of an older person who told him that a child had disappeared. It was a daughter of a member of the group, and that's why he thought that the second person to be absent would have been the child's father. Sometimes when the group came to eat at the restaurant, someone from the group left to go to the apartments to check on the sleeping children. He didn't see anyone with blonde, "Rasta," locks during his hours of work. (16h00 - midnight). JOELSON FABIO S. S. L.   Was contacted at another of the group's restaurants in the same area. As he works in the office, he did not have a view of the dining room where the tables are, which is why he saw nothing.   He does not know the missing child or her parents.   He saw no one with blonde "Rasta" locks during his hours of work. (15h30 - 23h30). RICARDO ALEXANDRE D. L. O.   On his day off today, he was contacted by telephone.   Dining room staff:    Of the group of 8/9 British citizens who dined yesterday, as they regularly do, which the parents of the missing child are part of, he noticed that one man was absent for around 15 minutes (Tall, average build, white, light brown hair). The informant states that it was usual for someone in the group to leave to go to check the apartments where the children were sleeping. At the table, he noted the presence of an intercom. He saw no one with blonde "Rasta" locks during his working hours. (16h00 -00h30) SUSPECT WITH RASTA LOCKS At the OCEAN CLUB reception, which is open 24 hours a day, the signatory to the present deed, may have observed a person with long, curly, blonde Rasta locks, in a green sweat shirt, corresponding to the description of the man with Rasta locks. The receptionist states that this person and his wife were guests of the hotel group and that he was untiring, since yesterday, in the search for the missing child. The signatory attaches, to the appendix of the present deed, a photocopy of their passports as well as the registration records of the complex. Editor's note: the suspect with the "Rasta" locks and his wife are of British nationality. They are respectively 37 and 40 years old.   *   Maria M.A.J. - Tapas Cook   Processo II, pages 261 – 263 (linked to TOC) 19h00, 6 May 2005, Praia da Luz, Lagos It was recorded that she has worked at the The Ocean Club tourist complex since 25 March of last year, in Luz (Lagos), as a cook in one of the restaurants within the complex, called "The Tapas". She confirms that on the 4 May 2007, at about 18h30, when arriving to work at the aforementioned tourist complex, she learned from her supervisor, Steve, that a female child who was staying with her parents and siblings at one of "The Ocean Club" apartments had gone missing on the previous day (3 May 2007). When she was informed of the disappearance she didn't realise which child it was, as it was only later, via the television reports that night and after seeing pictures of the missing child on TV, that she realised who she was, calling her Madeleine (the name used by the journalists) remembering only then that she had seen her during the dinners that are given to the children at the crèche, and which take place at the restaurant where the witness works and during the arrivals to the crèche where Madeleine spent the day, which is located right next to the restaurant. When asked, the witness confirms that on the day of the disappearance, she worked at the aforementioned restaurant between 10h00 and 18h45, at which point, having finished her workday, she went home, where she stayed with her 13 year old son until about 10h00 the following day (4 May 2007). On the day of 4 May 2007, given that she had a doctors appointment at the Lagos Health Centre and then an appointment at the Portimão Court at 15h00, she only started work at 18h30 (dinner service, which ends at 24h00). Relative to the facts under investigation in this current interview, the witness only knows what she heard through the media or via conversations with her colleagues from work. When asked she says that the last time she saw Madeleine was at approx 16h30 on 3 May 2007 when she was having dinner with the other children in their portion of the restaurant where the witness works, as happens every day of the week. As mentioned above, she has no useful information for the investigation, with nothing more to add beyond what is written, referring that, as said before, the child was with her parents on holiday in the tourist complex where she worked, along with her two siblings ("twin babies" - sic) She states she has no knowledge of any type of situation considered suspicious or that could be directly, or indirectly, related to the ongoing investigation. With nothing more to add, she reads the statement, which was found to be correct, ratifies it and signs… (name: Maria M*** A**** J****)

Catriona Baker/Stacey Portz informal interviews on 05 May 2007

Kid's Club staff interviews on 05 May 2007   At this point in the case files, the first interviews of the group are brought to a close for the time being. At the same time as these interviews, the Portuguese police were active in other directions. The case file, for the day after Madeleine's disappearance includes many documents: Copies of airline tickets. Copies of identity cards. Copies of passports. A photographic record (with measurements) of the apartments and its immediate surroundings. A plan of the apartment. Copies of faxes concerning the reporting of Madeleine's disappearance. A notice of alert in the Schengen area. A photo attached to the notice. A plan of the tourist complex. A photographic record of the neighbouring streets. The list of calls received and made by Kate Healy between April 27th and May 4th on her mobile phone. The list of calls received and made by Gerry McCann dated May 4th on his mobile phone. (previous calls having been erased) Copies of all identity cards for employees of the Kids Club (whose interviews are published below) Copies of passports for the same employees. Copies of the Kids Club registers from April 29th to May 4th inclusive. (We will come back to that) The list of documents in the case files dated May 4th is not finished. It continues after the documents concerning the interviews with Kids Club staff and the seizure documents for Madeleine's book, which we will talk about now. Madeleine's book Madeleine's parents ripped off both covers, the front and the back, from a book belonging to Madeleine, in order to write on the inside the timing for each person. Russell O'Brien was involved with the drawing up of the timing. The book was seized by theGNR on the night of the disappearance. It is to be noted that the writing down of the timing on the inside of the book covers was done before the police arrived on the spot. These covers would be attached to the case file, as elements of the investigation, on September 7th 2007, although seized during the night of 3rd to 4th May. Here are the terms on which the seizure document was based. Terms of seizure: At this time, it is considered of interest to the investigation to attach to the present deed, two covers of a child's book, on the inside covers of which is a schedule for supervision, hand-written by one of theMcCann couple's group of friends and participant in this deed by name of Russell O'Brien. Description and result Today we spoke by telephone via mobile number 964...., with Madame Silvia Maria Correia Ramos B., director of handling and services for the company "GREENTROUST", which manages the "OCEAN CLUB" company. Through her, we contacted Donna Louise R.H. (contacted by mobile phone number 964...) manager of the crèche staff for the "MARK WARNER" company, responsible for Madeleine and the twins for several days after the McCann family arrived in Portugal. The latter advises us that all these employees are trustworthy. That they are of British nationality and that they work in Portugal from March/April until November. Donna Louise R.H. gives us the names and telephone numbers of thirteen people who work in the crèche. Pauline Francis M. Emma Louise Wilding Sarah Elizabeth W. Susan Bernadette O. Leanne Danielle W. Shinead Maria V. Jacqueline Mary W. Kirsty Louise M. Lynne R.F. Catriona Treasa Sisile Baker Stacey Portz Lindsay Jayne J. Amy Ellen Tierney We note that none of these young girls lives at the complex, but quite near and that Catriona Baker was responsible for Madeleine during the day yesterday. Stacey Portz was the staff member for the McCann twins. It appears that it is always the same young woman who works with the same child. The latest arrivals in Portugal are Sarah W. and Charlotte Pennington who arrived last Saturday, April 28th 2007. The informant, responsible for coordination, split the children up between several young girls, taking care that each child was unknown to each young girl. The informant noticed nothing abnormal up to yesterday and that no one was absent from work except those who were on their day off. CATRIONA BAKER In our informal conversation with Catriona Trease Sisile Baker, also known as CAT, the latter reports: 1. That she arrived on March 21st 2007 and that she plans to return to the UK on November 7th 2007.   2. That she has worked with Madeleine since Sunday April 29th 2007, daily until yesterday and that she always works the same hours.   3. That yesterday Madeleine arrived at 9.10am. It was her father, Gerry, who brought her.   4. That is was her mother, Kate, who picked her up at 12.45pm.   5. That her mother, Kate, dropped her off at 2.50pm and picked her up at 5.30pm.   6. That in the same room as Madeleine, there were 6 other children in the morning and 4 in the afternoon (including Madeleine)   7. That she did not see any strangers in the complex during that time.   8. That on the first day, Madeleine was shy. On the following days she was more self-possessed and uninhibited. Yesterday she was joyful.   9. That she never left Madeleine, keeping her under visual supervision at all times when she was her responsibility.   10. That, over the days, she noticed no change in the behaviour of the child's parents.   11. That she has noticed no abnormal behaviour towards this family.   12. That Madeleine has not reported to her having had contact or conversations with anyone in recent days, which would possibly be suspicious.   STACEY PORTZ During our informal interview with Stacey Portz, the latter reports: 1. That it is she and her colleague, Shinead, who usually work with the twins.   2. That yesterday, it was the informant, Stacey, who worked with the twins, her colleague was on her day off.   3. That the children were dropped off by their parents at 9.30am and that the mother picked them up at 12.30pm.   4. That it was the father, Gerald, who dropped them off at 2.30pm and that it was the mother, Kate, who came to fetch them at 5.30pm.   5. That she did not see any strangers in the surrounding area.   6. That the behaviour of the parents was always perfectly normal.   7. That she arrived in Portugal on March 18th and that she returns to the UK on November 7th next.   It is understood that it was not possible to hear the rest of the young girls, and notably the one called Shinead, because most of them were absent and we will set up other priority work to that purpose.

Cartriona Baker's formal interview on 06 May 2007

Catriona Treasa Sisile Baker's interview on 06 May 2007   The interview begins at 6.36pm on May 6th 2007. It is the fifth time that Robert Murat is actively involved as an interpreter in the ongoing process. We will come back later to the first four times. The informant is heard as a witness. Being of British nationality, she has no command of the Portuguese language in spoken or written form, because of which and because he is present, the person named: ROBERT MURAT residing at Casa Liliana, Ramalhete Road in Praia da Luz, 8600 Lagos, contactable via telephone no: 913...., offered to translate the interview. In answer to our questions, she responds that she has been in Portugal since March 21st of this year and that this is her first visit to the country. Next, she says that she came to Portugal to work as a play leader, having obtained a contract of employment with the "Mark Warner" company. She states that her contract started on March 21st and ends on November 7th 2007, the date on which she will return to her own country. She points out that the company in question, in its turn, has a contract with the "OCEAN CLUB" tourist village to provide a child care service for parents who are clients of the village. She adds that in the tourist village, this type of child care takes place in four different places according to the ages of the children. Thus, for children aged four months to one year it is the "Baby Club" which is close to the OCEAN CLUB's main reception. For children aged one to two years, it is the "Toddler" which is next to the "Tapas" restaurant. For children aged three to five years, it is the "Mini Club" which is also close to the Ocean Club's main reception. And finally, for children aged six to nine years and from ten to thirteen years, it is the "Junior Club" which is close to the "Millenium" restaurant. Concerning the operating hours, there are four separate services. Basic service: 9.00am-12.30pm Service two: 2.30pm-5.30pm Service three: 7.30pm-11.30pm This is a service for dinner time called the "Dining out service." It is next to the Ocean Club's reception. Service four: 7.30pm-1am For an extra charge, there is a "Babysitting" service between 7.30pm and 1am provided in the apartments for parents who request it. The informant mentions that the work of the play leaders is the same in all areas specified above and that all colleagues have similar training. Rotations are scheduled, which means that they change places from week to week, changing the age group they have to work with.   She states that as part of her job she has to work out a weekly plan of activities to develop with the children who are entrusted to them, notably outside, like swimming tennis, the beach... To our question, she specifies that she is responsible for a group of children, similar in age to the missing minor and that each supervisor has around seven children who stay with the same supervisor for the week.   In continued answer to our questions, she responds that she has known the McCann family since last Sunday, April 29th, when the McCann parents placed their daughter in the "Mini Club". She adds that until Thursday May 3rd, the little girl came every day. Questioned, she responds that since she has been working with the little girl, it has seemed to her that the parents were attentive to their daughter given that they asked what Madeleine had done in the crèche and that they even accompanied Madeleine a few times in certain outside activities. Concerning the little girl, she states that she was an active and sociable child. Only on the first day was she more reticent with the group.   The informant reports that during the time that Madeleine was entrusted to her care, at certain moments, it seemed to her that the little girl was sad or unhappy without saying anything in particular about being cross, sad or unhappy about whatever it was. She also reports that she was an obedient child who never wandered from the group and who never spoke to strangers. When asked, the informant responds that it was always the parents who brought Madeleine and fetched her from the "Minis Club." When questioned, she responds that in the course of her work, on the company's premises and outside (as described above) she has never noticed anyone in particular or suspicious watching the children with whom she was working. She did not notice anyone taking photos of the children and notably of Madeleine. She states that she never heard her colleagues refer to such things either. The informant states that in the context of the disappearance of the minor, Madeleine, she saw nothing and was not aware of any reason which might explain the disappearance. Finally, the informant advises that in the few years that she has been working in this profession, for the same company, in various countries, she has never heard anyone talk of an event of this kind. The informant states that since she has been in Portugal, in addition to the British people and her colleagues, she has got to know people outside the tourist company, some of Portuguese nationality but mostly British people whom she associates with when going out at night to enjoy herself. During her evenings out no one has asked her about her work, or about the children, or the McCann family in particular. After reading in the company of the interpreter, she goes on and signs.

Lindsay Jayne J.'s interview on 06 May 2007

Lindsay Jayne J.'s interview on 06 May 2007   Lindsay J.'s interview took place on May 6th 2007. Lindsay J is manager of the KIDS CLUB. In the matter at hand, it is stated that: The informant is heard as a witness. In virtue of the fact that the informant is of British nationality and that she has no command of the Portuguese language, the present statement is taken in the presence of Filipa Maria C.S., translator. The informant has been in Portugal since March 15th, the date on which she started to work for the "Ocean Club" tourist company in Praia da Luz where she supervises the leaders (male and female) of the KIDS CLUB, her contract of employment having been previously signed in London (England). In the context of her duties which she carries out for the company mentioned, she has had contact on several occasions with a child called Madeleine McCann, observing from a distance. The informant states that the child belonged to the "Minis Club," group in which the children are aged 3 to 5 years. Questioned in more depth, the informant advises us that the group of children belonging to the "Minis Club" category are supervised by her colleague Amy Tierney who, in her turn, coordinates a group of leaders composed of Catriona Baker and Emma Wilding. Both were on duty during the week of April 29th to May 4th 2007. The informant informs that the "Minis Club" is subdivided into two classes of children and that Madeleine was entrusted to Catriona Baker. The "Minis Club" is open from 9am. A break is scheduled for lunch between 12.30 and 2.30pm when the afternoon session starts until 5.30pm. Then, from 7.30pm, the Kids Club provides a complementary "dinner" service until 11.30pm. For an additional fee, parents can obtain a "babysitting" service without a fixed time, to be arranged between the parents and the baby-sitter. The children stay at the centre and get involved with various activities which can be done on the company's premises, appropriate for this purpose, or they can also go outside, notably to the beach but always accompanied by a Kids Club employee. The informant tells us that on a date which she cannot be precise about but which was some time last week, Madeleine McCann participated in a boat trip, organised by the company's crèche. Several children particpated in this outing to the sea, accompanied by the employees mentioned above and an expert in water activities, whose name she is not aware of. To our question, the informant states that Madeleine McCann was accompanied by her parents, Kate and Gerald McCann who are renting apartment G5A at the Ocean Club. She indicates that on May 3rd 2007, at around 10.20pm, she was informed by her colleague Amy Tierney that Madeleine McCann had disappeared. At that, she immediately launched the "missing child" procedure. This procedure consists of dividing the site into several areas, which are allocated to various of the company's employees to start searching for the missing child. To that effect, the informant explains that, around 10.45pm, the date indicated, the said procedure was begun, dividing the whole site into three distinct areas, namely the north zone, the central zone (including the area of the company) and all the roads surrounding the company and which go as far as the beach. Five of the company's employees were mobilised to coordinate the searches, helped by various people (other employees, tourists and residents). Later, not knowing precisely what time, the local police came to the company and, taking into account the procedure which we had set in place, they proceeded with the appropriate actions for this type of situation. Questioned by us, the informant indicated that the searches by members of the OCEAN CLUB ended at around 4am on the morning of May 4th, without result. To our question, the informant stated that at the time she was informed of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, she was alone in her residence and that she immediately went out and initiated the procedure described above. To our questions, the informant replies that given that she had no direct contact with the minor in question, Madeleine McCann, being only the supervisor of the company's crèche leaders, as a consequence she does not know the routines of the minor or her parents and that no suspicious situation or any special concern about the child had been reported to her during the time she worked in Portugal. The informant did not notice any other suspicious or unusual situations which might be related directly or indirectly to Madeleine McCann's disappearance. After reading in the company of the interpreter, who explains to her, and having nothing else to add, she goes on and signs.

Catriona Baker's interview with Leicestershire Police on 14 April 2008

Statement from Catriona Baker   By Paulo Reis, Gazeta Digital At Leicestershire Police, April 14, 2008 (resume): Went to Portugal in March 2006 and worked at Ocean Club Village, than changed to Mark Warner's Ocean Club, in June 2006. There are seven "Kids Clubs", at Ocean Club, according to the children's ages, and about 16 nannies. She was living at a home within a 10 minute walk from the Ocean Club. Met Gerry and Kate in the morning of April 29, 2007, first time they took the children to the crèches Madeleine McCann was put under her responsibility, in the "Minis Club", with Ella, Jane Tanner's daughter. The McCanns daily routine: Kate and Gerry took Madeleine to the crèche every morning, came back at lunch time, and after "high tea". She met Gerry more times, because he went to take Madeleine more frequently than Kate. On May 3, 2007 she remembers that Gerry McCann took Madeleine to the crèche, between 09h15/09h20. She doesn't remember who took Madeleine out from the "Minis Club", for lunch, that day. Around 14h45, Madeleine returned from lunch, but Catriona doesn't remember who took her to the crèche. In the afternoon, the children went swimming. Between 15h35*/18h00, May 3, Kate went to the area near Tapas Bar, and she took Madeleine with her. Kate was wearing a sports outfit and Catriona thought she had been jogging. She believes Gerry was playing tennis.   After her shift finished she went home. Around 22h30/22h35, May 3, two room-mates came and told her that Madeleine was missing. She went out and helped in the searches, around the resort and onto the beach. She didn't see Gerry and Kate, on that night.   Mark Warner has a rule concerning the children's crèches: there is a registration sheet and the parents must sign it, when they leave and they take the children. Only parents can take the children, unless there is a previous communication that another identified person will do it. Thursday morning, May 3, all the children of the "Minis Club" went to the beach.   Mark Warner transferred Catriona Baker from the Ocean Club to another country one week after Madeleine disappeared on May 13, 2007. She never noticed anything strange about Madeleine's behaviour or in the relations she had with her parents, they looked a very happy family.   * The Portuguese transcript of Ms Baker's statement says 15h35 but it's my belief that this is a mistake and should have been transcribed as 17h35. An earlier reference to time in this statement says that 'High Tea' took place between 5h and 5h30 in the afternoon, when we would have expected it to have been written as 17h and 17h30, if being recorded consistently.

Synopsis of statement by Michael Terrence Wright, 16 April 2008

Processos Volume XVI page 4199 Thanks to 'Ines' for translation Email from Stuart Prior on 23 April 2008 to Ricardo Manuel Gonçalves Paiva Synopsis re statement of Michael Terrence WRIGHT 16th April 2008 Michael's wife (Anne-Marie) is the cousin of Kate McCANN but has known her since she was about 8 years old when she used to holiday on The Isle of Man where he used to live. He has known Gerry since 1997 when he started to go out with Kate. They now generally meet up on key family events. The families stayed together in each others homes in 2006 and February 2007 and were planning a family holiday in the UK in June 2007. He received a phone call around 11pm on 3rd May from his wife's mother informing him that Madeleine had been taken from her bed. Between 10am and 11am that morning he again spoke with Kate who wanted her parents to join them in Portugal. Michael went out to Portugal on 5th May and initially stayed above Kate and Gerry on the Mark Warner complex. He returned to the UK on 11th May but made five further trips to Portugal; 14th May to 18th May, 8th June to 13th June with his wife and they looked after the twins when Kate and Gerry, went to Morocco. 12th July to 13th July he returned with Kate and the twins to attend the christening of his own children while Gerry was already in the UK. The McCANN's returned to Portugal on 15th July. 22nd August to 1st September to replace the CAMERON family. Here he assisted in arranging the return of Gerry and Kate by booking a removal firm in Lagos in his name. 7th September to 9th September. He helped clean up the villa as the McCANNS with the CAMERONS and Eileen McCANN returned home on 9th September. In August and September he stayed in Gerry and Kate's rented villa. Michael assisted with the running of the Madeleine campaign and describes Gerry and Kate as distraught, and how they crumbled and sobbed when not out at official meetings or media conferences. Michael was aware of the hire of the Renault Espace; he was collected from the airport by Kate on 12th July in it and drove the vehicle regularly in August and September. He used the vehicle for shopping, and to the rubbish/recycling area in Praia for the removal of gardening rubbish. He drove the twins to the beach and kiddies club and also for airport runs. Other times he would be a passenger when Gerry or Sandy Cameron would drive. A number of refuse sites were used. Two areas on the villa estate, at the main entrance and at the top of the hill. A site on Cemetery Road, a site on a road above the Mark Warner complex and a site between the villa and the church. On a number of occasions he noticed an unpleasant smell in the vehicle that he put down to the twins used nappies which had been discarded with the general waste. He was not aware of any spillages in the vehicle or anyone cleaning it. Michael further stated that on 6th May he purchased a large quantity of Pizza's from the pizza shack on the beach at Praia da Luz. The girl serving him was from Liverpool and after introductions she said her father "George" had seen a man carrying a child in the early hours of 4th May in the resort. He is unaware if "George" has ever spoken to the authorities. DS 278 ADCOCK

Witness statement of Michael Terrence Wright, 16 April 2008

CARTAS ROGATORIAS (FILE 5) 66 to 69—Witness statement of Michael Terrence Wright 2008.04.16 My wife is Kate's cousin and I have known Kate since she was 8 years old. She used to spend holidays on the Isle of Man where I lived. My wife's and Kate's families are quite close. I have known Gerry since 1997 when he was going out with Kate before they married. I haven't seen Kate and Gerry very often, but we always met at family events such as weddings and baptisms. I didn't attend their wedding because my wife, Anne-Marie, was ill and we didn't attend their children's baptisms because we were away on holidays. That said, since the birth of the twins we have met more frequently. In August 2006 they came to visit us at our house one weekend and that was very pleasant. On our side, we visited them in Rothley in November 2006 and they repeated their visit [to us] in February 2007. We work well together as a group and we know each other very well. We were planning a family holiday [together] for June 2007 at Center Park. I wasn't in Portugal on 3 May at the time of Madeleine's disappearance. About 23:00 that night I received a very embarrassed call from my wife's mother who told me about Madeleine's disappearance. Aunt Nora, from Canada, was in Skipton and was about to return to Canada the next morning. I suggested I drive Nora back to Liverpool. We all thought that Madeleine was going to appear in the following hours, therefore I drove Nora back to Liverpool in the early morning of Friday, 4 May. I stayed in Liverpool. I spoke to Kate by phone between 10:00 and 11:00am that morning and she confirmed that she wanted her mother, her father and Nora with her. The family liaison [officer?] arranged the journey of the mother, father and Nora to Portugal that same afternoon. I went with them to Manchester airport. Kate's mother asked me to come to Portugal and I agreed on condition of speaking first with Gerry and Kate. On Saturday, 5 May, I caught a plane from Leeds-Bradford to Faro and caught a taxi from the airport to the Mark Warner complex. Initially I stayed in an apartment in the same complex as Kate and Gerry. Those first days were hectic, always surrounded by the media and the situation appeared very transitory [temporary] with family and friends sleeping wherever they could. On Friday, 11 May, I returned home for a weekend with my family. After that I made five further trips to Portugal on the following dates: - Monday, 14 May to Friday, 18 May. I travelled alone and helped by doing what I could in the Madeleine campaign. - Friday, 8 June to Wednesday, 13 June. I travelled with my wife, Anne-Marie. This trip was for us to take care of the twins while Kate and Gerry made a brief trip to Morocco. - Thursday, 12 July to Friday, 13 July. I travelled alone and returned with Kate and the twins for them to attend the baptism of my own children. I had spoken previously with Gerry by phone and knew that he was in UK in meetings and he asked me to help Kate and the twins so that they could be there. Kate, Gerry and twins returned to Portugal on the morning of Sunday, the 15th of July. - Wednesday, 22 August to Saturday, 1 September. I left with Anne-Marie and our children, K and P, to replace Sandy and Trish Cameron. During this period we spoke with Kate and Gerry about the best time to return to UK. Provisionally the second week in September was decided and I contacted a removals firm in Lagos in my name, and I collected packing boxes and adhesive tape. We then began to pack all the stuff we wanted to keep, such as letters, postcards, etc. - Friday, 7 September to Sunday, 9 September. Gerry called me the night before and told me he was going to be interviewed the next day. I travelled alone and met Sandy Cameron at the airport [presumably Faro] and we caught a taxi to the villa. Kate, Gerry, the twins, Sandy and Trish, and Eileen McC left Portugal on Sunday morning and I left by myself that same afternoon after cleaning the villa. During my initial trips to Portugal I stayed in Mark Warner apartments. In July, August and September I stayed in the villa rented by Kate and Gerry, I recall nothing strange about anything where I stayed. I didn't look for things that were particularly strange or suspicious but I did pay close attention to the Mark Warner apartments to consider potential hiding-places which could have been used by an intruder. During my first two trips to Portugal, I recall that Kate and Gerry were always on the go, but I spent a lot of time with them especially at night at dinner. I frequently watched, with Sandy, the most mundane tasks such as opening the mail. We received many e-mails relating to the campaign and there was much in them to talk about, but our time with Kate and Gerry during the day was very irregular. During my stay at the villa our time together was more concentrated. With respect to Kate and Gerry's behaviour after the disappearance, I witnessed first hand their desperation, how they cried and were distraught, though never during their meetings with officials or at press conferences. It was uncomfortable to see. I also saw them organised and controlled in meetings and in front of the media, and felt proud and impressed at their power of self-control on those occasions. At the time I travelled with Anne-Marie on 8 June, Kate and Gerry had rented a vehicle. It had seven seats, I thought it to be a Renault Espace. Gerry suggested that I be added to the insured driver's list so that I could drive it while they were in Morocco, but I thought that to be unnecessary as they would only be gone for a few days. When I was in Portugal on 12 July I was picked up by Kate who was driving the Renault Espace. It was on our trip to Portugal on 22 August that Gerry suggested that I was added to the contract as an additional driver and I accepted. Gerry and I went to Lagos and I was included in the contract as additional driver. I drove the car regularly in August and September, doing the shopping at the supermarket, taking the house and garden rubbish to the recycling area in PdL and also taking the twins to creche and to the beach, and trips to the airport. I was also a passenger in the car at various times, mainly in June and July when Gerry or Sandy drove. There are various rubbish recycling/dump areas and we used these: - two trash bins at the villa, one at the main entrance and the other at the top of the hill; - one area on the cemetery road; - one area above the Mark Warner complex, and - one area between the villa and the church. The visiting gardener always generated garden rubbish and this was usually leaves and grass. Gerry and I would usually take this rubbish to the bin at the top of the property. I never observed anything strange in the vehicle at any time that I was in it. I noted some unpleasant smells on a number of occasions which I think have come from the twins' nappies. Discarded nappies were collected in rubbish bags and held until thrown into the rubbish bins, thereby provoking smell. I have no knowledge of anything spilling from any article nor of any cleaning of the car after such a hypothetical spill. According to what I know, the twins travelled in the vehicle more than twenty times. For example, to the creche, to the beach at Sagres, the airport and Burgau. I am absolutely certain that Kate and Gerry were not capable of hiding Madeleine's body and later transporting it to a dump. As for additional information I would like to add that on Sunday, 6 May I went to the pizzaria in PdL and bought a large quantity of pizzas. I was attended by a girl from Liverpool. I explained to her my relationship to the McCanns and she told me that her father 'George' had seen a man carrying a child in his arms in the early morning of 4 May in the resort. I asked her if her father would speak about this to the Portuguese authorities. I don't know if the information was ever investigated.

Maddie: Police conducting a battle between David and Goliath, 02 February 2008

Maddie: Police conducting a battle between David and Goliath SOS Madeleine McCann By Duarte Levy 02/02/2008 Thanks to 'beachy' for translation "In the McCann inquiry, given the obstacles that have been created in the United Kingdom, the better tactic would have been to continue the investigation without naming the parents as arguidos," said a source from the PJ about statements of their National Director, adding that "at the moment the investigation has become a battle between David and Goliath." The National Director of the Judicial Police (PJ), Alípio Ribeiro, considered yesterday that there had been "haste" in constituting Kate and Gerry McCann as arguidos in the disappearance of their daughter. Alipio Ribeiro also confirms that the right direction is being followed by the investigators and that this is an investigation and we must be patient. The statements by the Director of the PJ were made during the recording of the "Diga Lá Excelence" programme on Radio Renascença which will be broadcast tomorrow afternoon, in which he is questioned by journalists and Paula Paiva Celso Torres. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Gerry and Kate McCann, responded rapidly to the statements by the National Director of the Judicial Police stating that the couple had "very well received comments from Alipio Ribeiro in which he accepts that Portuguese police officers under his authority had acted in haste in designating the McCanns as official suspects." Clarence Mitchell went further, and even before full knowledge of Alipio Ribeiro's interview, invited the Portuguese authorities to remove their status as arguidos, with "humanity." The former director of the British Media Minitoring Unit, who became head of public relations for the McCann couple, responded via the Find Madeleine web site, which now has a new design. The site has adopted a more low-key look and more pink, maintaining the sale of bracelets and T-shirts but no longer [reporting] the financial situation of the Madeleine Fund.

McCanns rented car: 11,229 kms in four months, 08 August 2008

McCanns' rented car: 11,229 kms in four months Gazeta Digital   Duarte Levy and Paulo Reis 08 August 2008   The Renault Scenic was rented by the McCanns on May 27, 2007 and sent back to the renting company on September 23. Mr. Alexander Cameron was also registered as a driver, on May 27. At the end of August, another driver was included in the list: Michael Terence Wright.   The final contract extension was signed until September 24. Before the end of the contract, there was a contact between the company and the McCanns, because Madeleine's parents were interested in keeping the car for more time.   But the company had also a renting contract with Renault Portugal and had to send the car back to them, so could not extend the renting period. The only way for the McCanns to keep the car was buying it, but they refused.   On September 23, the car was delivered to the renting company, in Lagos. A tall man, around 1,80 metres, with short grey hair, 60 to 65 years old, speaking English, took the car back and signed the delivery document. The car drove 11,229 km, between May 27 and September 23.   Payments to the renting company were made with credit cards. Several extensions of the renting contract were negotiated, with at least two different credit card numbers. The last extension was made on September 1, until September 24.