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Witness statements taken by Leicestershire police.
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Clarence Eden MITCHELL: Witness statement, 28 April 2008
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Clarence Eden MITCHELL: Witness statement PJ Files
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 1 |
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 2 |
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05-Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, Pages 1
to 2
Leicestershire Constabulary Witness Statement
CJ
Act 1967, s.9; MC Act 1980, ss.5'(3) e 5B; Regular Criminal Process 2005, Decision 27.1
Statement of: Clarence
Eden MITCHELL Age if less than 18:
This statement (consisting of 2 pages and
signed by me) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that, if it is tendered in evidence, I
shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated in it anything I know to be false or do not believe to be true.
Date: 28 April 2008 Signature _________________________________________
I am the person referred to
above, resident at the address previously provided to the police.
Today, officers from the Leicestershire police
force questioned me about some of the aspects related to the Madeleine McCann inquiry. I was informed that these questions
were raised and officially requested by the Portuguese authorities. I am aware that my statement will be subject to the Portuguese
Penal Code, as well as to English law.
These are the replies that I can make to the following questions.
In relation to how I met Gerry and Kate McCann and what my relationship with them is;
I met Gerry at the
end of May 2007 when he returned to the UK after his daughter's disappearance. It was a circumstantial meeting at Leicestershire
Police station. At the time I was working as part of the Consular Assistance Group, representing the Foreign Office. I was
asked to return to Portugal with Mr McCann, where I met his wife. Later I became the McCann family's representative and
I developed a good personal and professional relationship with them.
As regards my travel to Portugal;
I travelled on the 22nd May 2007 and remained in Portugal until the middle of June. Since then, there was no need to return.
As regards my accommodation in Portugal;
I stayed in a Mark Warner apartment in the Ocean Club, near to
the apartment occupied by the McCann family. I did not notice anything strange in the apartment.
With regard to
the moments that I spent with Kate and Gerry;
I was with them daily for various hours, whilst I was in Portugal.
After my return to the UK I continued to be in daily contact with them and we would meet two or three times a week.
With regard to Kate and Gerry's behaviour;
Their behaviour has been entirely of constant anguish, typical
of parents who have lost their daughter in tragic circumstances. Everything that they said or did leads me to believe that
they are completely innocent of involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine.
With regard to the various questions
about the Renault Scenic;
I often saw the car but I remember that I was only inside the Renault Scenic once.
I travelled as a front seat passenger on the night that we went to the charity concert in Lagos. Gerald McCann was the driver.
The vehicle was packed with other family members.
I did not notice anything strange about the vehicle nor any unpleasant
or intense smell.
I do not think that Kate or Gerry could have hidden Madeleine or transported her body anywhere
in the car. In my opinion this is a ridiculous suggestion, given that they, as well as the car, were the object of intense
observation by the media, day and night, during the whole time that I was with them. The car was always parked in front of
a crowd from television channels and photographers. The car was always followed by photographers during the whole time.
I cannot think of any more information or explanations that could be relevant or that could help the investigation
in any way.
This statement was made by me and is truthful according to my understanding.
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Catriona Sisile BAKER: Witness statement, 14 April 2008
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Catriona Sisile BAKER: Witness statement PJ Files
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 3 |
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 4 |
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 5 |
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| Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, page 6 |
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05-Carta Rogatoria - Depoimentos 2, Pages 3
to 6
Leicestershire Constabulary Witness Statement
CJ
Act 1967, s.9; MC Act 1980, ss.5'(3) e 5B; Regular Criminal Process 2005, Decision 27.1
Statement of: Catriona
Sisile BAKER Age if less than 18: Occupation: Childcare worker
This statement
(consisting of 4 pages and signed by me) is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that, if
it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I have wilfully stated in it anything I know to be false or
do not believe to be true.
Date: 18 April 2008 Signature _________________________________________
I am the above referenced person and live in the address previously given to the police.
I offer this testimony
in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. I would like to clarify that I am not totally aware of the events as
so much time has passed since the incident.
I work in childcare – I was contracted by Mark Warner in June
of 2006. The first time I went to Portugal was the 21st of March 2006 where I worked as a childcare worker in the Ocean Club
Village, Praia da Luz. I went to a work interview and was contracted for one year by Mark Warner in June of 2006. There are
a number of infant clubs in the Ocean Club resort, where the children are grouped together by age. The work in the clubs is
rotated and the functionaries are changed over weekly. If a family is staying for a period longer than one week, I would stay
at the same club to continue taking care of their children. The child is delivered in the morning by one of the parents who
also picks him or her up at lunch time. Some of the children return for the afternoon session which includes accompanying
them to "high tea" at around 5H in the afternoon.
The age requirements of the various clubs are 3-11
months (baby Club), 12-23 months (Toddler Club), 24 months to 3 years (Toddler 2 Club), 3 to 5 years of age (Mini Club), 6
years to 9 years of age (Juniors Club), 10 years to 15 years of age (Kids Club) and from 14 to 17 years of age (Indies Club).
The Baby Club and the Mini Club are situated directly on top of the 24-hour reception. The Toddler Club is located close to
the tapas Bar and the others close to the "Millenium" Restaurant.
There were about 16 childcare workers
during my stay at the club. I was lodged in the white and blue building, about 10 minutes on foot from the Mark Warner village
and my place of work.
I got to know Gerry and Kate McCann on the Sunday morning, 29.04.2007, in the Minis Club.
They brought the children and as it was their first day of holidays the normal procedure was that they were allocated a childcare
worker. I had previously written the children's bracelets which included their name, allergies and relevant information.
I stayed with Madeleine, 3 years old, in my group (Minis Club that week) together with Ella, daughter of Jane Tanner. Either
Kate or Gerry would accompany Madeleine every day in the morning and would return at lunch hour to take her back. I met Gerry
more often as he would drop Madeleine off with greater frequency than Kate. I also remember that Kate was present for High
Tea accompanied by the twins between 5H and 5H30 in the afternoon.
Most of the time in which I saw the family
together, the children would be eating. The twins appeared tired at lunch, after a long day and also perhaps due to the heat,
but I never became preoccupied by the children of by the comportment of the McCanns.
I never saw Kate or Gerry
in a car in Portugal. I visited the family in their home at their invitation to see how they were getting along in November
of 2007. That was the first time I saw them in a car.
On Thursday the 3rd of May 2007, I remember Gerry having
accompanied Madeleine to the club between 9h15 and 9h20 in the morning. I do not remember who came to pick her up for lunch
but after she returned in the afternoon for a dive/swim. These activities were realized with the other children. On this day
I remember that we sailed and I saw friends of the McCanns on the beach, David and Jane. Around 14h45 Madeleine returned to
the Minis Club on top of the reception but I do not remember who accompanied her. This afternoon we went swimming. Kate went
to get Madeleine from the Tapas Bar area and according to what I remember she was wearing sporting clothes and I assumed that
she was practicing some form of athletics. It was around 15h25/18h00. I think that Gerry was playing tennis.
On
the 3rd of May, 2007, Kate and Gerry did not demonstrate any unusually comportment—they seemed friendly and happy.
When I finished work that day, I headed for home. Some of my colleagues were going out but I was very tired and did
not accompany them. I stayed in the apartment with my friend Rhiannon Fretter and we went to sleep. Two colleagues later returned
to the apartment. I was confused and did not understand was happening. They eventually explained to me what had occurred around
22h30-22h35. Emma Wilding told me that Madeleine has disappeared. Leanne Wagstaff also was present.
I helped in
the searches near the beach and after returned to the meeting point in the Tapas bar. The director indicated to us where to
search; we looked in all areas. I searched on foot the majority of streets where Madeleine had passed and may have been familiar
to her. I also searched the streets of the Tapas Bar, to the Minis Club, and of the Minis toward the beach looking between
zones in the beach where she may have had access. All seemed to be concentrated on searches on the beach.
I did
not see Kate or Gerry that night. The next time I saw them was on Saturday at breakfast, as on Friday I spent most of the
morning with the Portuguese police giving a statement. On Saturday I was next to the tapas Bar zone when Gerry and Kate appeared.
They were still agitated and anxious for news.
I never noted anything strange in Madeleine's comportment during
the time I stayed with her. There was one occasion, on Thursday, 3rd of May 2007, around 10H30 in the morning, where she cried
at the launch of the yellow safety boat in the ocean where all the children were sailing. She was scared and fearful and cried
on my lap "I am scared, I am scared." We only used the launches to transport the children to the small yellow boats.
When we returned to the other boat she was happy again. She sailed in the small boat and even though some children had the
opportunity to return to the port, she stayed for a second time as she appeared to be having a good time. Jane Tanner's
daughter also took part in my group and together they would play. Apart from being a happy child in the club, she always seemed
very content when she saw her parents. Madeleine did not demonstrate any fear with the return launch to land.
Madeleine
never mentioned that she had cried in the absence of her parents nor did she tell me anything of significance relating to
feeling sad or something relevant that would cause me to worry.
Mark Warner has a standard procedure, the signature
on a page when a parent leaves or checks-in a child. There is a separate page for the morning and one for the afternoon. The
page contains the name of the child, the hour of sign-in and the hour of pick-up for the afternoon. Only the parents have
authority to take the children, except when there is some other agreement. When Gerry and Kate came to pick up Madeleine there
were loving and the child would run into their arms.
Mark Warner maintained a register to all the activities in
which the children participated. It functioned as a calendar, referring hour by hour, to what the children were doing. I believe
that the Portuguese police collected the sign-in/out sheets and the registry of activities immediately on the day following
the disappearance. I would say that Madeleine adored her family; she seemed happy as they did in the club.
During
the week which Madeleine stayed in the club there were three events organized that included a trip to the beach. One of these
events took place on Thursday in the morning, as referred to previously. Another of these events consisted of a trip to the
beach with "hula hoops", shovels and buckets, etc, and the other trip to the beach was in order to eat ice cream.
Together, the trips to the beach took place in the afternoon but I cannot state precisely which days. There should be a recording
of this in the Mark Warner registers.
During these trips to the beach I never noticed anything untoward given
that my attention was on the children in my charge.
Mark Warner moved me from the Ocean Club about one week after—13th
of May, I believe.
I was interviewed on DVD, by DC GIERC of the Leicestershire Police between 10h09 and 10h54
on Monday, 14th of April of 2008 in the Leicestershire police headquarters. I can affirm that my statement on DVD is truthful
and in accord with my understanding.
Between 11h57 and 12h12 of the same day I was again interviewed on DVD by
DC GIERC. During this interview I was permitted to refresh my memory after reading my translated original statement made to
the Portuguese police. There are two facts that I would like to clarify: "dining out service" which is mentioned
is available for the adults, being that the children would be left under the care of a childcare worker during dinner. My
original deposition also mentioned that Madeleine offered more attention to the boys in the club. I do not remember having
made such an affirmation given that Madeleine passed the majority of time playing with Jane Tanner's daughter. I confirm
that the deposition in this second DVD is truthful and in accord with my knowledge and that it will be registered.
Between 13h35 and 13h45 of the same day I was once again interviewed by DC GIERC. One more time I confirm that my statement
is true and in accord with my understanding.
This statement was made by me and is truthful according to my understanding.
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