EXCLUSIVE: New quiz for Maddie witnesses

By JAMES MURRAY   Published: 00:01, Sun, November 30, 2014

MADELEINE McCANN detectives are planning to requestion key figures who arrived on the scene shortly after the three-year-old disappeared.

The Scotland Yard officers have analysed minutely events which happened just before, during and immediately after Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007 and appear to be seeking new information and clarification from important witnesses.

Among those scheduled for requestioning is Silvia Batista, who ran the service and maintenance departments of the Ocean Club at Praia da Luz on the Algarve where the McCanns were staying.

Shortly after the alarm was raised, Mrs Batista was contacted at her home in nearby Lagos and immediately went back to work.

When she arrived at a reception area she saw Madeleine's father Gerry on his knees on the floor crying out for help and banging his hands on the floor.

A few minutues later she entered the bedroom at apartment 5a and said that the shutters were down, the windows closed and the curtains slightly open.

Kate McCann has said that when she arrived to find Madeleine gone, the shutters were partly open in the bedroom, leading her to believe that Madeleine had been taken through the window.

In her statement Mrs Batista said Gerry told her he had closed the windows as their other two children, Sean and Amelie, then 18 months, were still asleep in separate cots in the bedroom.

Mrs Batista, a former receptionist at the Ocean Club, worked closely with her husband Joao, who was head of maintenance and services.

n the past year both were made redundant because of falling bookings at the Ocean Club, which have been blamed on the recession and publicity surrounding Madeleine's disappearance.

Another facing requestioning is John Hill, manager of the Ocean Club.

When he arrived at the club after receiving a call at 10.28pm from a colleague, some 100 people were already searching for Madeleine.

He also spoke with Kate and Gerry that night in their apartment and helped arrange for photos of the child to be distributed.

Mr Hill and his wife Donna printed pictures after being given a memory stick by Russell O'Brien, a friend of the McCanns whose partner Jane Tanner's picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls is well known.

Donna Hill is likely to be requestioned early in the New Year.

Scotland Yard detectives are also interested in claims that a set of keys to apartment 5a, kept in the maintenance section, went missing in the week that Madeleine vanished, first revealed by the Sunday Express last February when we reported that a former maintenance worker said the disappearance of the keys had not been reported to the authorities.

Detectives also want their Portuguese counterparts to interview Mario Fernando, 47, who came forward last May to say he saw a suspicious man wearing sun glasses in a stairwell looking at apartment 5a 24 hours before Madeleine disappeared. The former Ocean Club laundryman was collecting sheets when he saw the man: "I saw the weird guy and we nearly bumped into each other.

"He was embarrassed. He was nervous. He was walking out from the hole under the stairs and must have been much further inside but had taken several steps back after hearing me coming.

"He had a really fat face and had two-tone sunglasses on."

Last week it was revealed that Robert Murat was one of those on the Yard's list of people it wants more information from.

Mr Murat told the Sunday Express he would be happy to cooperate but has not received anything official yet from the authorities.

Portuguese police have to conduct the interviews but Scotland Yard officers can sit in during questioning. Some interviews were due to be held last week but they now look likely to be held in the New Year.

Former Scotland Yard murder detective Peter Bleksley said that this next stage of the investigation was a "logical progression" for the police.

"I would think that they have been concentrating on the timeline in the review period and they have may have come across some inconsistencies which they want to look into," he said. "That would be my thinking on this.

"They will want to know who was where, who saw what and at what time and try to work through the inconsistencies while at the same time seeking new information.

"Going back to square one will have formed a big part of the original review which has now moved into the investigative stage. It is a logical progression."

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/541742/Maddie-detectives-set-to-quiz-key-witnesses-again

A few minutues later she entered the bedroom at apartment 5a and said that the shutters were down, the windows closed and the curtains slightly open.

Kate McCann has said that when she arrived to find Madeleine gone, the shutters were partly open in the bedroom, leading her to believe that Madeleine had been taken through the window.

In her statement Mrs Batista said Gerry told her he had closed the windows as their other two children, Sean and Amelie, then 18 months, were still asleep in separate cots in the bedroom.

It easy to forget the situation as the GNR found it. That is to say

Curtains closed almost completely.
Windows closed.
Shutter down.
Patio doors locked and access via front door was the story du jour.

This being the case, who ever witnessed the window open and shutter up ? Is it really just hearsay ?

Mrs Batista noted well that no one was 'searching', they were all busy on their mobiles.

She also witnessed the identical post card size pictures given to the GNR.

Surely this is a massive piece of information we're being given here? The MSM is reporting on inconsistencies we've been arguing about for years. Shutters down, window closed. This is how an initial witness reported seeing the state of 5A. And Gerry's defense is that he closed the window because the twins were sleeping there? Lame lame excuse. And from a so-called professional who would be acutely aware of the necessity of preserving the crime scene and not disturbing the one piece of evidence which supported his wife's contention that an intruder stole their child? If the open window was the only thing that convinced Kate that Madeleine had been taken, and that open window was not open when a crucial witness arrived on the scene, then that blows Kate's claim right out of the water.

I see this as progress in the investigation. An ever decreasing spiral of narrowing down until we reach the most obvious witnesses who need to be interviewed next.

Has James Murray seen the light at last?

I didn`t think it was the Hills that printed any photos either. I thought it was one of the nannies.

However he does say at the very end of his statement:-

" The deponent tried to print various photos that were distributed in different sites as well as trying to support the McCanns, although they did not need so much support after about seven weeks the deponent remembers when, in his personal opinion they were more capable in terms of mental capacity to deal with the situation."

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

Just confirms to me at least on what I've written elsewhere,OG have worked backwards on this, outside in,they have looked at it as if it was an abduction which was their brief and have now come to the core.What the conclusion is time will tell,in the not to distant future I suspect.
Over on CNNOM there as been an excellent theory put forward in "the abduction plan went wrong" looking at photos on here and analysis from excellent posters and reading the theory there,its not far off the mark IMO.

Snipped
Mr Hill and his wife Donna printed pictures after being given a memory stick by Russell O'Brien, a friend of the McCanns whose partner Jane Tanner's picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls is well known.

Is Mr Hill and his wife taking credit for printing pictures from the memory stick including picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls? Why no mention of Amy Tierney?

Oh dear Kate after running back for your camera to take the tennis photo they are now saying Jane Tanner took it, are you going to ask for a correction?

Next year! OK, that is at least something. Finally an investigation on the people who went to 5a that evening.
I'm longing for Tapas 7. The Yard is arriving at the apartment, they will certainly arrive at the McCanns, after Tapas 7 tell them what really happend to the girl beause I don't believe the group will protect the parents.


By the way, is the clock on this forum ok? According to myself it is not.

paracetamol wrote:Next year! OK, that is at least something. Finally an  investigation on the people who went to 5a that evening.
I'm longing for Tapas 7. The Yard is arriving at the apartment, they will certainly arrive at  the McCanns, after Tapas 7 tell them what really happend to the girl beause I don't believe the group will protect the parents.


By the way, is the clock on this forum ok?  According to myself it is not.

Hi paracetemol, you need to look at this the clock is fine, forumotion changed things and you need to put the clock right in your profile..


https://maddiemccannmystery.forumotion.co.uk/t259-new-timezone-management

Anne wrote:Snipped
Mr Hill and his wife Donna printed pictures after being given a memory stick by Russell O'Brien, a friend of the McCanns whose partner Jane Tanner's picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls is well known.

Is Mr Hill and his wife taking credit for printing pictures from the memory stick including picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls? Why no mention of Amy Tierney?

Oh dear Kate after running back for your camera to take the tennis photo they are now saying Jane Tanner took it, are you going to ask for a correction?

I don't think the article actually claims the tennis ball photo was on the memory stick it just states that JT took it. imo

Ohhh, well well well, this is fantastic news, each little write up on this case is getting down to the nitty gritty. Inconsistencies, windows, curtains, pics, Infact, every small movement from before, during and after, everything that was seen, said and done, the only time I remember this ever happening before was when Goncalo Amaral was in charge back in 2007!
It certainly is just like peeling back the layers of an onion, including the tears.
Whoever is responsible, should have and won't have nowhere to run.
IMO

caricature wrote:Just confirms to me at least on what I've written elsewhere,OG have worked backwards on this, outside in,they have looked at it as if it was an abduction which was their brief and have now come to the core.What the conclusion is time will tell,in the not to distant future I suspect.
Over on CNNOM there as been an excellent theory put forward in "the abduction plan went wrong" looking at photos on here and analysis from excellent posters  and reading the theory there,its not far off the mark IMO.

I read the theory you refer to C and I agree with a lot of it. I have said since I joined here that there is a possibility this was all pre-planned for a live MBM to be taken for a while, with maybe a miraculous recovery of her later after the book, charity foundation, sofa surfing and newspaper syndication had reaped huge profits. Something went wrong and we know the rest.
Glad to see it is something other people give some credibility to as well.

Hongkong Phooey wrote:

Anne wrote:Snipped
Mr Hill and his wife Donna printed pictures after being given a memory stick by Russell O'Brien, a friend of the McCanns whose partner Jane Tanner's picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls is well known.

Is Mr Hill and his wife taking credit for printing pictures from the memory stick including picture of Madeleine gathering tennis balls? Why no mention of Amy Tierney?

Oh dear Kate after running back for your camera to take the tennis photo they are now saying Jane Tanner took it, are you going to ask for a correction?

I don't think the article actually claims the tennis ball photo was on the memory stick it just states that JT took it. imo

Thanks Hongkong Phooey, when I first read it he seemed to be implying the tennis photo was on the memory stick.

Mimi wrote:Has James Murray seen the light at last?

I didn`t think it was the Hills that printed any photos either. I thought it was one of the nannies.

However he does say at the very end of his statement:-

" The deponent tried to print various photos that were distributed in different sites as well as trying to support the McCanns, although they did not need so much support after about seven weeks the deponent remembers when, in his personal opinion they were more capable in terms of mental capacity to deal with the situation."

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

I do hope that nice solicitor of Dr Amarals is paying close attention.

I had to read that article twice to make sure I wasn't getting ahead of myself. Great stuff, it finally feels as though they are getting to the heart of the matter and things are beginning to point in one direction.

Gerry's fist banging while on his knees doesn't exactly stand out as a productive/realistic activity to be engaged in half an hour after a child was found to be missing, while the evidence about the bedroom scene is damning.

paracetamol wrote: Finally an  investigation on the people who went to 5a that evening.
I'm longing for Tapas 7. The Yard is arriving at the apartment, they will certainly arrive at  the McCanns, after Tapas 7 tell them what really happend to the girl beause I don't believe the group will protect the parents.

Do they need to be reinterviewed? the statements are there for all to see,if they chose to alter them would they be committing perjury? if and its a big if, a trial were to happen,they have to stick to what is written down surely.

caricature wrote:

paracetamol wrote: Finally an  investigation on the people who went to 5a that evening.
I'm longing for Tapas 7. The Yard is arriving at the apartment, they will certainly arrive at  the McCanns, after Tapas 7 tell them what really happend to the girl beause I don't believe the group will protect the parents.

Do they need to be reinterviewed? the statements are there for all to see,if they chose to alter them would they be committing perjury? if and its a big if, a trial were to happen,they have to stick to what is written down surely.

That would stand if they had the likes of the information from DP where he had other relevant information but the roggie interview was not 'the right forum'. imo

Yes. That remark has always fascinated me.

Meteor wrote:I had to read that article twice to make sure I wasn't getting ahead of myself. Great stuff, it finally feels as though they are getting to the heart of the matter and things are beginning to point in one direction.

Gerry's fist banging while on his knees doesn't exactly stand out as a productive/realistic activity to be engaged in half an hour after a child was found to be missing, while the evidence about the bedroom scene is damning.

I wonder if Gerry's fist banging was done to conceal bruises he may have already had. His wife had to smash up beds to conceal her 'restraining bruises'....... with her -wrists? Yeah, pull the other one!

canada12 wrote:Surely this is a massive piece of information we're being given here? The MSM is reporting on inconsistencies we've been arguing about for years. Shutters down, window closed. This is how an initial witness reported seeing the state of 5A. And Gerry's defense is that he closed the window because the twins were sleeping there? Lame lame excuse. And from a so-called professional who would be acutely aware of the necessity of preserving the crime scene and not disturbing the one piece of evidence which supported his wife's contention that an intruder stole their child? If the open window was the only thing that convinced Kate that Madeleine had been taken, and that open window was not open when a crucial witness arrived on the scene, then that blows Kate's claim right out of the water.

I see this as progress in the investigation. An ever decreasing spiral of narrowing down until we reach the most obvious witnesses who need to be interviewed next.

Lame lame excuse - I agree entirely.

It didn't seem to bother Kate McCann when she ran back to the Tapas bar that she was supposedly leaving the twins entirely on their own, exposed to any predator who may have still been lurking around.  That's if the twins were in apartment 5a, as going by many posts on numerous forums, they weren't and were brought back to 5a before or during the alarm being raised.

Lame lame excuse, indeed, GM thinking on his feet, he should have conversed with KM first before coming out with that obvious howler.

ETA:  It was interesting to read that article by James Murray, SY going back to basics, like peeling back an onion.  Since AR came out with that expression I've heard it said numerous times on different TV real FBI investigation programmes, they always seem to be able to bring an end to most cases.  Perhaps SY have had training from the masters of investigation and they are not as dumb as many people have accused them of being.

Blacksmith mentioned the Hills and Sylvia Batista in his 'Progress' blog the other day.

Just to emphasize once more the scene in 5A when the GNR arrived. From Sivia Batisa's witness statement we can see that|

It was Mcann himself whom she witnessed giving the photos to the GNR.
She finds it notable that the word "abduction" was insisted on.
She notes that all of them were busy informing the press.
She describes the bedroom and she found it notable that the "abductor" would not be able cross the room to the window.
She searched, nobody else did.
The tapas crew were passing in and out, using their cell phones.
None of the group, even the parents, were concerned with looking for M.

Has Redwood even read this ? And he is looking for burglars ?


In her own words..

She remembers Gerry gave the Commandant of several photographs of the missing girl. They were postcard-like pictures, taking into account their size and shape and seemed all the same to her.
She understood also that since the very beginning either Gerry or the others insisted on stating that Madeleine had been snatched, all using the word "abducted" instead of missing, and all showing much interest in informing the press of the situation.
She also recalls entering in the room where Madeleine should be sleeping and remembers now that the door was closed. The room was dark. The blinds were down, some light entering through their holes. The windows were closed and the curtains slightly open. Gerry, who followed her and the elements of the GNR, said he did close the window because of the babies sleeping in the room, a fact she confirms.
Gerry said that when he discovered the disappearance of Madeleine he noticed that the window and the blinds were open and the curtains fluttering.
She recalls that the beds which were in the middle of the room and used by the babies
were aligned and therefore found it strange that someone had taken Madeleine from the bed where she would be sleeping and had gone to the window because there was no space to pass.
She opened the wardrobes of that room in order to confirm that Madeleine wasn't eventually hiding there.
Then everyone left the room and someone shut the door. She remained for some time in the living room, near the GNR elements, Gerry and other elements of the group
who got in and out and spoke on their cellular phones.
She observed that none of the elements of the group including the father and mother
of the child was concerned with looking for her.

I would like to see the xxxxxxx and their friends, the parents of the alleged substitute Maddie, interviewed. I would like to know where their friends were staying that week and if they had a booking at the Apolo Hotel in Villa Real on the Spanish Border.

And I would like to know which xxxxxx answered the phone when, according to Kikoratton, Healey called them on the first Sunday morning. How can this alleged call be spun away ??

Judging from Kiko's tweets, both Redwood and the PJ have received a dossier from Kiko based on his analysis of phone traffic.

They had better be doing something about it. Do they have the necessary political clearance to act?

Rob Royston, may I ask what is the significance of that hotel in connection to the case?

I would like to ask that people are not named.  We have no proof of anything,  so we must tread very carefully.