Eumenides

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann nine years ago is a case like no other. The role played by the media has kept her face on the front pages of the tabloid press . Police files on the case are available on the internet. The Scotland Yard investigation is ongoing. This blog is a collection of facts - sourced from witness statements, Portuguese police files, Leveson inquiry papers, interviews, videos, transcripts, newspaper articles and other material in the public domain.

Wednesday, 22 April 2015

THE LOGIC GATES : THE GIRL WITH THE THUNDERBOLT EYE

Logic gates

Digital systems are constructed by using logic gates. Below a search for logic regarding the presence or absence of a coloboma. Keeping in mind that a coloboma stays in exactly the same position for life, does not grow bigger or smaller and and would under no circumstance be confused with 'a small spot'.

Madeleine Beth McCann - the girl with the thunderbolt eye.

Trademark: 24560601: Madeleine’s Fund - leaving no stone unturned.
Registered on 18th May 2007. Ltd. Company registered in England and Wales, CRN 6248215.

New website and fund launched on 16th May:

Website findmadeleine.com - according to McCanns interview in the Guardian(17/8/07), domain name was orginally purchased by a stranger in France and then donated to the family. However: Jon Corner, had registered this website on the 14th of May:

Domain ID:D145995330-LROR
Domain Name:FINDMADELEINE.ORG
Created On:14-May-2007 14:31:24 UTC
Last Updated On:14-May-2009 16:18:36 UTC
Expiration Date:14-May-2010 14:31:24 UTC
Registrant Name:Jon Corner
Registrant Organization:Jon Corner

17th May 2007: Application to make MBM a Ward of Court.
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Luckily the coloboma is a fairly simple affair. There either was one or there wasn’t.

Benefits of the coloboma:

A USP - a unique selling point - a good marketing ploy:

Vanity Fair interview, September 2007, published February issue 2008)

Gerry McCann: "We thought it was possible this could hurt her. Her abductor might do something to her eye. But in marketing terms it was a good ploy."

It eliminates many millions of other little girls of that age. Without the coloboma countless children would have needed to have their DNA analysed, innocent parents would have been under suspicion so in general - considering the global interest - the coloboma would eliminate all these complications.

Which would free Team McCann for other duties. Otherwise the world - fed on this fairly tale - would expect the parents to fly all over the world in the hope of finding their daughter. Nothing less would be expected from them and every time the nation would hold its breath whilst the parents would fly out to cross another child from the list. (1)

No Coloboma - not Maddie.

But an inversion means that any photograph produced by Team McCann of a toddler with a coloboma means it is Maddie. Simple: here's a child with a coloboma, we published it, we say it is Madeleine, therefore it is Madeleine. The Unique Selling Point could be added any time this was needed.

Drawbacks:

The USP: assuming abduction of any kind this made her instantly recognisable and was therefore a danger to the abductor.

Quote: Carlos Anjos, Polícia Judiciária: "If that situation had been of an abduction, it would have been terrible for the child. Because if that child were to be sold, or something else... She was as good as... it was her death sentence. That situation, that day, advertising that photo, was simply the death sentence of that child."

and:

Gerry McCann (see above) Her abductor might do something to her eye.

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No coloboma:

Benefits:

Lots more sightings:

- can be used to generate publicity.

- more interest and income for the Fund with the publicity.

- can be used to stress the incompetence of the PJ.

- can be generated whenever necessary - in some cases retrieved from years back.

- sightings have consistently appeared just before the anniversary of the disappearance.

But as it happened, sightings were plentiful in any case without the identifying mark ever being mentioned. Over 2000 were listed in the PJ files.

Drawbacks:

Children and parents needlessly harassed if child looks like Madeleine.

BUT:

Explaining that prominent coloboma in all the photographs was achieved by mixing it in a long interview with Piers Morgan, aired on 11/5/2011 to publicise the book ‘madeleine’ .

(On the 12th the Scotland Yard start Operation Grange).

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MORGAN: Madeleine had a very distinctive eye pattern, didn't she? Tell me about that, Kate, in case people see somebody they think may be Madeleine. Tell me about her eye.

K. MCCANN: If I'm honest, we haven't put too much emphasis on her eye, because I think you have to be very close to her to see it. But her eyes are slightly different colors, and one of them has this brown fleck in it. But you do notice, particularly on photographs, but --

MORGAN: Slightly distinctive eye colors and a little fleck. And do you know if that would be still there if she's now eight years old?

G. MCCANN: Certainly believe it wouldn't have changed. I think there's been a pattern to be still there. That it's -- the technical term is coloboma, where there's a defect in the iris. I don't think it is actually. I think it's actually an additional bit of color. She certainly had no visual problems.

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Dr. G. McCann: as a father and a doctor isn’t even sure what condition his first-born may or may not have had. However, the Lancet, a venerable medical publication had no problem in publishing the c-word.:

(1) Sightings:

The only case reported where a small girl in New Zealand had such a feature her parents had to submit evidence several times that she was their child and on the last occasion her DNA was analysed. Needless to say, the DNA didn’t match.

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Thedailybeast: Crime February 2nd, 2013.

Madeleine McCann Sightings in New Zealand lead to DNA request.

Whenever someone calls the Queenstown, New Zealand, police to report that they’ve seen a little girl who looks just like Madeleine McCann, [..]police know exactly whom they are talking about. They’ve been called to investigate a Maddie sighting five times in the last five years in the cities of Queenstown, Milton, and Alexandra, and each time they are led to the same young child, who not only shares McCann’s hair coloring and petite stature, but also has the same coloboma in her right eye. [..]But Scotland Yard wants to be sure. As part of the ongoing McCann case review called Operation Grange, which kicked off in May 2011, Metropolitan police want to test the New Zealand child’s DNA to make sure once and for all that she is not McCann. The DNA request has been accepted, but it will take several weeks before test results are complete and the young girl can be completely ruled out as a match.

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The coloboma is out of use in the Leh (India) sighting in July 2011. Never mentioned, DNA is mentioned, an A4 portrait sent to TM who are cautiously hopeful. The headline is one of those to make one reach for the chequebook:

Mailonline:

'It's not our Maddie': McCanns' hopes dashed after sighting in India

By RICHARD HARTLEY-PARKINSON
UPDATED: 20:32 GMT, 28 July 2011

Gerry and Kate McCann do not believe a young girl spotted in India is their missing daughter, their spokesman said.

The Chandigarh Tribune said that a British woman had seen a youngster bearing a remarkable likeness to Madeleine who disappeared four years ago.

But after studying a photo of the child, the McCanns announced this afternoon that the girl was not their daughter.

Spokesman Clarence Mitchell said the couple were 'certain' the girl was not Madeleine, who would now be eight-years-old.[..]

At one point an American man is said to have tried to take the girl from the couple.

However the French woman and her Belgian husband, who had their passports copied by Leh Police, insist that they are the parents of the girl.

A spokesman for Leh police told the Chandigarh Tribune in India: 'It all depends upon the evidence like DNA for which help from Madeleine's parents and the British police was required.'

Not a whisper about the identifying marks (spot on leg in passport) or coloboma (not in passport) or fleck or different coloured eyes..).

Friday, 10 April 2015

Conclusions

Since the last five posts may have been rather heavy reading, certainly for those who prefer ‘McCann Light’ here follow the salient points made in the previous posts:

Part 1: In the technical details we see that the Canon camera is unlikely to have been used to print the photograph.

The printer - if the camera is docked on the printer can print from a USB stick.

It is not likely that it can print 30 copies without running out of ink. The paper used is not available in the area.

However, the aspect ratio of said photo is wrong for the Canon which is the camera from which allegedly the photograph was copied. So we still don’t know where the photo came from. We do know that it did not come from the Canon as stated in the rogatories. Neither do we know how it got onto the USB stick or even if there was one that evening.

A ‘normal’ way to print a photograph from the Canon which is pictbridge enabled, is to use the usb lead that comes with the camera and print from the camera direct. This simple method is never even mentioned.

Conclusion: if there was a USB key, it already had the photo on it. Both ROB and AT talk about one photo, one pose. Although ROB seems to be talking about the iconic red dress one and AT doesn’t mention the kind of photo at all.

But as we will see, the plot thickens, as there were two photographs, different poses.

Part 2: GNR statements speak for themselves and give the time of their arrivals.

Silvia Batista’s statement gives a period of time well before 24.00 in which the photographs are handed over.

Part 3: ROB must have gone over the photographs questions four times in two days.

Twice on the 8th and twice on the 10th since there are two lots of questions on the printing of the photo.

Only one photo is mentioned and from ROB’s description it was the iconic one. He cannot remember what photo it was as he’s seen so many since. Since PdL was plastered with hundreds of these posters for weeks, it’s rather strange the image escapes him.

The printing episode is reduced to the vaguest recollection. Most importantly, he does not mention Tierney or a USB key. Not at all. Instead he thinks it was ‘Kat’ - the nanny he must have seen every day when he signed in his daughter.

He does give a time: ‘well before the PJ came’ which doesn’t help much but puts the time before midnight. (one nanny gives midnight as the arrival time of the PJ) See also timeline part 5.

Part 4: Amy Tierney. She is word perfect on the 17th of April. ( there must be a withheld statement before this as she mentions previous statements regarding the printer). This is a week after ROB’s rogatory interview on the 10th. She mentions a USB key, ROB asked her to print photographs. She was at her desk in the Tapas (that Tapas is more crowded than I thought - only room for 20 guests, no room for big round table but somewhere a desk for the supervisor of the nannies - ah well, handy for a drink) .

Only fly in the ointment is the timing: at her desk at 24.00. Goes to her room, gets the printer (necessary camera to dock and enable USB key to be used is not mentioned). Returns to Tapas, sets up the printer and paper - we are now at least some ten minutes further.

24.10 starts printing. The Kodak prints each photo in 90 seconds. Photographs need to dry to some extent so say the first batch of five will take at least 8 minutes before they are ready to take across to 5a - another minute or so to get there.

So at the earliest there are five photos ready around 00.20. More likely 00.30. No longer ‘well before the PJ arrive’ and certainly much later than the time given by Silvia Batista when she gave the photographs to (probably) Officer Roque of the GNR.

Part 5: The timeline speaks for itself. A timeline of ROB’s movements that night would be good but the only point to make here is that according to his own testimony he was in 5a well before the PJ arrived. So he could not have been in the Tapas waiting for photographs to be printed. He was busy writing the timelines and these were impounded hot from the press so to speak.

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The PJ timeline in investigating the photographs.

The main point here is that the PJ took no action (apparently) in tracing the printing of the photos before the 25th of June 2007, when the GNR returned four photographs of two different poses. Two of each. So - they may have felt the distribution of photographs within the time given was a little strange when the absence of the child was noticed a mere 90 minutes or so earlier. But two photographs make it even stranger, certainly if there was no method of printing these at reception.

The PJ interviews Silvia Batista on the 26th July, 27th July the photographs are sent off for scientific analysis.

Note: the photograph on page 1 or Part One is a sheet from the GNR - not the PJ.

The description which accompanies it is written by GNR Officer Roque. Imo the original recipient of Maddie’s passport and the photographs. (see note 7 of Part 5)

Important note: the time of her disappearance is given to officer Roque as between 9.30 and 10.00 pm. (see note 6 of part 5)

On 25th June when the other four photographs are given to the PJ it is likely that the PJ then interviewed Officer Roque - this is not in the files.

In any case, they would have established the chain of evidence .

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Thursday, 9 April 2015

The First Photo - part 5 timelines

21.55 pm The Smith Family, (4 adults and 5 children) are returning from 'Kelly's Bar', heading north, all spread out along the street and they pass a man walking down the middle of the street, carrying a child.

21.30 - 22.00

When the alarm is given, at an unknown hour, which for the investigation is somewhere between 21.30 and 22h00, based on the employee statements from the Tapas bar, as well as other tourists, all the group ran to the apartment as if a medical emergency had occurred, except for Dianne Webster who stayed at the table for a few minutes. (1)

21.55 Russell O’Brien returns to the restaurant.

22.00 Alarm - official alarm according to TM

Kate enters at 22h00. Sees open window, raised blinds and curtains in strong breeze.

22.05 Dianne Webster goes into Maddie's room. The twins are sleeping.

22.11 A police source claims: "Someone within the McCann circle phoned from the Ocean Club the night of the crime to Sky News' representative in the Algarve. The call took place at 22.11. We were warned of the disappearance at 22.40". (No link - but see 2)

22.15 They asked one of their friends in the group to go down to the main reception, which is manned 24 hours, and call the police. The call was made at 10.14 pm or 10.15 pm, according to the McCanns.' (Timesonline 09 September 2007) (3)

22.15 Dianne Webster goes back to collect her camera - is spoken to by tennis coach.

22.17 Emma Knight has a call from Lindsey Johnson informing her of disappearance.

22.33 and Lindsey Johnson near the Tapas Bar and then initiated the MW procedures for the search of a missing child. (4)

22.28 John Hill is alerted by mobile.

22.33 John Hill arrives at OC and helps with MW missing child procedure.

22.41 pm - First call to GNR Lagos precinct (Guarda Nacional Republicana, rural police); The first call to Police Precinct of GNR (Portuguese Rural Police) in Lagos, a patrol was sent, arriving at Ocean Club 12/15 minutes later, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Costa Cabral, Head of Public Relations of GNR.

22.52 Second call to GNR

22.30 - 23.00 Silvia Battista alerted arrives a few minutes before first GNR officers.

She was at home and was informed of what happened by telephone. She went immediately to the Ocean Club where she arrived a few minutes before the GNR officers arrived there. When she arrived at the resort she went immediately to apartment 5A where she found several people as much/many inside the apartment as outside it. Still she entered the apartment but left straight away without having spoken with anyone who was there, since at the same time she was told that GNR officers were at the main reception and she went to find them.

When she arrived at the officer's location she saw that behind them was Gerry, Madeleine's father, with another person but she does not remember who it was.

23.00 - Arrival of two GNR officers Roque and Da Costa.

23.14 Gerry calls Kate (8 secs)

23.17 Gerry calls Kate (31 secs) this call is left on her phone whereas it is deleted from Gerry's. These could be calls from the reception to tell Kate they were coming back with the GNR.

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This appears to be the best point to use for further analysis. At this point we have the arrival of two officers, the timing fits: 12 to 15 minutes after the first call to Lagos makes their arrival at the latest (if going by the 22.52 call 23.07) but probably earlier. Silvia B is called to reception, having arrived at 5a between 23.00 and 23.05. She goes to the reception area where she sees Gerry and another man behind the officers.

SB then accompanies Gerry to the GNR vehicle next to the 5A apartment.

Once inside the apartment she asked those present for the passports of all members of their family as well as photographs of the missing girl. She then accompanies Gerry to the GNR vehicle in order to deliver the requested documents. See her testimony in part four re the photographs. Bracketing these actions in a time frame of no more than 30 minutes makes the very latest that the documents and photos are handed to the first officers on the scene 23.37

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23.15/23.20 GNR patrol calls CID in Portimão, reporting a possible kidnapping.

Both Gerry and Kate take time to delete all calls from their mobiles. the 23.17 on Kate’s phone is left, probably by accident.

23.15 - 24.00 Russell O’Brien gives photographs to the GNR. (‘Well before the PJ arrived)

23.25 - 23.50 Sgt. (Commander of the group) Duarte arrives

00.30 - 00.40 PJ Officer V. M. M. arrived on the scene with Deputy Specialist J.B.

00.30 Timelines written on the sticker book covers are taken by the PJ.

From the Rogatory of ROB: 'But anyway Dave Payne said to, errm... there were two members of the PJ had arrived [..] I recall 'baby face', or his colleague, saying 'No media', and, you know... and that was full-stop and then turning round to me writing the timeline and saying 'That's what we want', fair enough. Errm... huh, and that's really it.

0.29.37 Angela Morado at UK Consulate calls Gerry (4.53 minutes) (someone else must have alerted the Consulate - no direct calls from Gerry to Morado before this).

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Timeline PJ enquiry into printing of photographs:

25th June 2007 GNR hand over four photographs to GA, two of each pose.

26th July 2007 Silvia Batista gives a statement concerning photographs

27th July Photos are sent for scientific analyses

16th August 2007 - external diligence -the photopaper in question found to be unavailable in four local establishments.

2nd October 2007 external inquiry report, John Hill interviewed.

10th April 2008 Russell O’Brien rogatory

17th April 2008 Amy Tierney rogatory (in PdL)

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Notes:

1) Goncalo Amaral: ‘The Truth of the Lie’.

2) Chapter 6: from ‘madeleine’ by Kate McCann.

Around 8am, I started to receive text messages and calls from friends back in the UK who were seeing and hearing news. [..]By this time our friend Jon Corner, a creative director in media production in Liverpool, was circulating photographs and video footage of Madeleine to the police, Interpol and broadcasting and newspaper news desks. This was in accordance with the standard advice of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in the US.’ Some 25 communications with JC by Kate during the night.

3) Timesonline, May 6: John Hill, the Ocean Club manager, said the alarm was raised by the family between 10pm and 10.15pm: "The staff, many guests and the best part of the village started looking right away, a total of 40 to 65 people. The police were called and started taking details from the family and then took the decision to escalate the search."

4) The procedure involved the distribution of leaflets that had already been prepared, with the names of the locations, for the members of staff, indicating the zones that they should search. Once the location indicated had been searched the leaflet was returned and another one with a different location was handed over. This procedure was followed by the members of staff, but on that night about 6 residents from the complex were also involved in the search. (Statement of Emma Louise Knight, 30/4/2008)

5) Timelines written on the sticker book covers are taken by the PJ. Writing these must have taken some time so let’s presume that ROB was in 5a for some time before this whilst writing these, it’s unlikely that all those listed on the timeline were there to give the details listed and even more unlikely that ROB knew by heart where everybody was that evening. So it must have taken a while to put them together. Especially as the first timeline had MO added to the list.

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 the McCann couple's group of friends and participant in this deed by name of Russell O'Brien.

01 Processos Vol I Pages 27 to 28

From the GNR
Brigade n 3
Portimao

NUIPC 201/07 GALGS

REPORT OF NEWS OF DISAPPEARANCE

Responsible Officer: Jos.Mar. Batista Roque

Disappeared Person

Name: Madeleine Beth McCann
Feminine sex, white. Date of birth: 12-05-2003

Height about 0.90 mt.

Colour of eyes, blue left eye, greenish right eye with brown spot.
Blond hair with chestnut tips touching the shoulders.

Individual markings: small chestnut birthmark on left leg.

Date of disappearance: 03-05-2007 between 21.30 and 22.00.
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This is the very earliest description of MBM by one of the two first GNR officers on the scene.

Why is the coloboma not under ‘individual markings?

Why is the very small mark on her leg visible in the tennis photo listed as such?

Why is it ‘blond hair with chestnut tips’ ?The blonde hair would be growing out in the winter, darker hair on top. Which can be seen very clearly in the playhouse photo, allegedly of Maddie.

Why is the iconic red dress photo that of a girl with light brown hair?

Why is her height given as 90 cm whilst it is clear in e.g. the tennis photo that she was of normal height for her age of nearly four? The given height is off the chart for that age.
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7) There is the question of why there are four passports on the table, that might mean that only MBM’s passport was retained and passed from the officers to their commander as Cdr. Duarte says clearly in his statement that he does not know who handed him the photos.
However, J.M.B. Roque must have been in the car with his commander at the time. (see 17/10 statement below) as they drove all round the resort and J.M.B. Roque then left at 02.30.
Sgt. Duarte received a number of photos( at least 5) of which one - probably the one in Part I here went to the tribunal. Four other photographs given to the GNR officers searching were presumably the ones returned to the PJ on the 25th of June 2007. (see comment GNR Part 2)
Kate has one photo the next morning and apparently so does Brigid O’Donnell, (see comment GNR Part 2) but since neither she or her partner Jeremy Wilkins took part in the search I expect she was given it sometime in the morning. So that is 7 photographs so far, plus one given to John Hill to photocopy.

The very perceptive officer J.M.B. Roque (it’s worth reading his statements) must have joined his commander in the car around the time that Sgt. Duarte says he received the documents.

Processos Volume II - Pages 412 to 414
José Maria Batista Roque
Date/Time: 2007/05/07 18H45
The patrol of which he took part, and now as a witness, went immediately to the principal reception of the aforementioned establishment, where there was encountered the father of the missing child. Following, this patrol went to the residence where the family of said minor was staying in the ‘Ocean Garden’ together with the father. (this corroborates SB’s statement)
Processos Volume XII - Pages 3281 - 3284
José María Batista Roque
Date: 17 – 10 - 2007
When they were on their way to this place[..] he received another communication saying that her father had called again. They continued on their way, now with urgency, heading for the main reception of the resort.[..] When they arrived, they saw the girl's father, a friend whom he cannot describe, an OC employee and a translator who was also an OC employee, named Silvia Batista. (note: they reacted to the 10.41 call - so GNR reacted immediately)
[..]
Meanwhile the post commander arrived at the scene and he joined him in a vehicle and travelled around the whole resort. At about 02.30 after having been replaced by two colleagues, he left the scene as the police had already arrived.(note: as Roque was with the commander it is all the more likely that he was the one to pass Sgt. Duarte the documents).