Private Investigators - there is more to the e-fit story. 

The McCanns declined to renew Oakley International's [PI's] $843,000 contract in 2008 after suggestions that it was too expensive. The firm's founder, Kevin Halligen, was alleged to have failed to pass money to an investigator on the McCanns' case, although he denies this. This summer Halligen was jailed for 41 months by a US judge for an unrelated multimillion-dollar fraud.

The Sun newspaper claimed yesterday that the e-fits resembled the Scottish paedophiles Charles O'Neill and William Lauchlan. Both are serving life sentences for murdering a woman to prevent her from reporting them for child abuse. At the time of Madeleine's disappearance they were living in Spain and using false passports. Leicestershire police questioned them about Madeleine in jail in 2011.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/madeleine-mccann-e-fit-pictures-overlooked-for-5-years/st...

Just meant to say of-course the abduction of Madeleine was pre-planned!!!  Has anybody thought that the person who took her did it on spur of the moment?  They would have watched the MacCanns and children, and their habits and carefully planned how to get her and disappear with her without getting caught.

I agree super-nova. Unfortunately the location of that apartment (window opening to the street,  external front door for the builidng near their apartment, near the carparK) would have made it easier for anyone with bad intentions to watch the McCanns daily habits. The person doing the watching could blend in with the others coming and going from the entrance and carpark and not be so noticeable.

My understandng is that Martin smith and his wife both made statements to the Portuguese Police shortly after Madeleine's disappearence.

A month later, after seeing video of Gerry McCann carrying his son from a plane he stated that the man he saw could well have been Gerry. In one article he is reported to have said he was 60% to 80% certain.

As far as I know he never ammended his police statement, so, to  whom did he give this added information - to the private investigation team?

lf that was the case then  there might well be one very simple and  obvious reason why the McCanns did not want it made public - because they knew it couldn't possibly have been Gerry and they felt- quite rightly  that airing it would only muddy the waters and give more ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.

Remember, the police ALREADY KNEW about the sighting and had discounted it because they were concentrating on  the man Jane Tanner saw was the most likely suspect.

I know I posted a news link a few posts back that said Mr Smith had withdrawn his statement. I do not know where that informaton came from.

There were 4 adult members of the Smith family that saw the man and they all made witness statements in Portugal. Mr Smith made 2 statements, one in Portugal, another in Ireland. His statement in Ireland (Sept '07 I think) said he was 60-80% sure it was Gerry. I have posted that statement in this thread, from police records.

His wife declined to make a second statement in Ireland. Common theme in the Smith's  statements was the light was poor at the time of sighting and they would not recognise the man if they saw him again.

lf that was the case then  there might well be one very simple and  obvious reason why the McCanns did not want it made public - because they knew it couldn't possibly have been Gerry and they felt- quite rightly  that airing it would only muddy the waters and give more ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.

That makes sense.

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@the_great_she_elephant wrote:

My understandng is that Martin smith and his wife both made statements to the Portuguese Police shortly after Madeleine's disappearence.

 

A month later, after seeing video of Gerry McCann carrying his son from a plane he stated that the man he saw could well have been Gerry. In one article he is reported to have said he was 60% to 80% certain.

 

As far as I know he never ammended his police statement, so, to  whom did he give this added information - to the private investigation team?

 

lf that was the case then  there might well be one very simple and  obvious reason why the McCanns did not want it made public - because they knew it couldn't possibly have been Gerry and they felt- quite rightly  that airing it would only muddy the waters and give more ammunition to the conspiracy theorists.

 

Remember, the police ALREADY KNEW about the sighting and had discounted it because they were concentrating on  the man Jane Tanner saw was the most likely suspect.

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from the Sunday times

The McCanns were also understandably wary of Oakley after allegations that the chairman, Kevin Halligen, failed to pass on money paid by the fund to Exton’s team. Halligen denies this. He was later convicted of fraud in an unrelated case in the US.

The McCann fund source said the Oakley report was passed on to new private investigators after the contract ended, but that the firm’s work was considered “contaminated” by the financial dispute.

He said the fund wanted to continue to pursue information about the man seen by Tanner, and it would have been too expensive to investigate both sightings in full — so the Smith E-Fits were not publicised. It was also considered necessary to threaten legal action against the authors.

“[The report] was hypercritical of the people involved . . . It just wouldn’t be conducive to the investigation to have that report publicly declared because . . . the newspapers would have been all over it. And it would have been completely distracting,” said the source.

A statement released by the Find Madeleine fund said that “all information privately gathered during the search for Madeleine has been fully acted upon where necessary” and had been passed to Scotland Yard.

It continued: “Throughout the investigation, the Find Madeleine fund’s sole priority has been, and remains, to find Madeleine and bring her home as swiftly as possible.”

Insight: Heidi Blake and Jonathan Calvert

She El, If they knew it wasn't Gerry why would they not at least follow the leads that their PI's came up with in order to find Maddie ?

She El, If they knew it wasn't Gerry why would they not at least follow the leads that their PI's came up with in order to find Maddie ?

Because it was information that was already in the hands of the police

.

Also, we don't know that the PIs didn't follow it up, we only know they were not allowed to make their findings public.

And if, as  a result of their investigations they  believed the man seen by the Smith's was Gerry, why would they bother exploring that avenue any further? After all, the police also failed to follow it up because they believed the man seen by Jane Tanner was the abductor. 

the_great_she_elephant wrote:

She El, If they knew it wasn't Gerry why would they not at least follow the leads that their PI's came up with in order to find Maddie ?

Because it was information that was already in the hands of the police

.

Also, we don't know that the PIs didn't follow it up, we only know they were not allowed to make their findings public.

And if, as  a result of their investigations they  believed the man seen by the Smith's was Gerry, why would they bother exploring that avenue any further? After all, the police also failed to follow it up because they believed the man seen by Jane Tanner was the abductor. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

the information has only recently been in the hands of SY .Once and for all being able to rule out the earlier sighting by JT (which the group supported  with various contradictory statements) ...and the earlier time of abduction has as DC Redwood announced allowed for a new time time to focus on and therefore put various people in different places than they were earlier  ...the later sighting by the Smiths is now able to be the focus of police investigations to achieve what the aim is and what people gave to the Madeleine fund to achieve ...to find Madeleine .

If anyone knew it was Gerry ...they'd have to ask what he was doing walking around with a child   BEFORE his wife announced Maddie missing wouldn't they ? 

Involving the solicitors to silence that info which their Investigators found in 2008 ....and asking for public donations to help find their daughter at the same time as they silenced the PI's just as they did the British Police Dogs .Why ? People want to help find their daughter as they are asking .How can they sit there and smile knowing this vital info to help find Maddie and bring to Justice those responsible was in their hands in 2008 ? and they sought to bury it .

I don't believe they did seek to bury it.

the information has only recently been in the hands of SY 

http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/MARTIN_SMITH.htm

From: DC Hughes
Sent: Thursday, 20th September, 2007 15:42
CC: Prior Stuart
Re: FW: Smith Family

This is the Irish family that saw a man transporting a child on the night in question and returned to Portugal to collaborate with the investigation. Martin Smith contacted our department stating that after having observed the McCann family on TV alighting from the plane, he believes that the person he saw carrying the child that night was Gerry McCann. For your information. 

DC John Hughes

__________________


From: Long Lindsay
Sent: 20th September, 2007 11:37
CC: Hughes John (DC)
Re: Smith Family

Rec via: TELEPHONE Series: 241 Ident: BC19-8286-1055 20/09/07 
Telephone: *********
Locale: Portugal/Out of country
Origin: Mr. Martin Smith 'Ireland

Text: Reported that he passed a male carrying a child in Praia da Luz the night Maddie went missing. Went and made a statement to Portugal police in Portimao on 26th of May and returned to the U.K. Is saying that after seeing McCANNS on the news on 9th of September when they returned to the U.K. He has not slept and is worried sick. He states he was watching the 10 pm news on BBC and saw the McCANNS getting off the plane and coming down the steps. He states it was like watching an action replay of the night he saw the male carrying the child back in Portugal. He states the way Gerry was carrying his twin triggered something in his head. It was exactly the same way and look of the other male seen the night Maddy went missing. He also watched ITV news and SKY news and inferred it looked like the same person both times carrying the children. Is asking a member of the OP Task Force to ring him back. He was with a group of 9 family and friends the night he saw the male in Portugal. He sounded quite shaken and worried whilst speaking to me. 

Rec by: TPHONE Serial: 241 Ident:BC19-8286 1055 20/09/07 
1101 8286-BC19 Incident linked to 209 26/06/07
1101 8286-BC19 Incident Result ODI: ADMIN DUPLICATE INCIDENT
QNG: QUALIFIER NOT REQUIRED
1101 8286-BC19 Incident Closed

Lindsay Long
Holmes Indexer
Major Crime
Braunstone Police Station

Processos Vol XI Page 2875

Policia Judiciaria

NUIPC 201-070 GALGS

NOTE

On this date I state for the files that at about 12.12 I had telephone contact with the witness Martin Smith, by means of phone number ********* who referred to the communication he made on 20-09-2007 to the British authorities, that confirms his sighting and showing his full availability to travel to Portugal with the aim of making statements and collaborating with this police in all the diligences that could be considered necessary concerning these events.