THE CASE OF THE LEGLESS WAITER - PARAISO RESTAURANT CCTV

by skyrocket 11.06.17 16:55

I'd be grateful if someone would upload the 2 CCTV photos below - as usual I'm unable to do it on my Mac (file is always too big) - apologies.

I know everyone likes photo threads - so here's one as an alternative to politics.

How do you suppose the Paraiso waiter captured on the CCTV image at 17.59 hours on the 3 May, managed to lose his left leg - without perhaps 'help'/interference from some outside party? Note that the floor boards are clearly visible.

And, why do the figures back right appear so bizarre between 17.59 and 18.13 hours, and yet relatively normal before and after?

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Also, what is Dr Suess's 'Cat in a Hat' doing hiding on the table behind Dr Matthew Oldfield?

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So many things wrong with these images.

by MrsC 11.06.17 18:28

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by skyrocket 11.06.17 18:36

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - many thanks for the upload. high5

by skyrocket 12.06.17 9:05

The complete set of CCTV images from the Paraiso restaurant can be viewed here:

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The safety rail of the Paraiso Restaurant can be seen to be between 1.6m and 1.7m above beach level (from various online photos). There are 2 sets of swings infront of the restaurant on the beach. Looking out from the restaurant the left hand set of swings is about the same height as the safety rail. The top horizontal bar of the swings can be seen as a black line in the CCTV photos, above right of the tapas 7 table (underneath the sun shades).

The image of the woman on the beach, shown in the following link above the seated man's head, is quite obviously not next to the swings as the figures head would be more on a level with the horizontal swing bar and the image would be smaller and less detailed, as others appear in related images; and yet, if close to the restaurant rail the person would be 1.6m at hip height.

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Why does Fiona Payne's face appear so odd in the following CCTV image?

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Just as an aside - the Paraiso Restaurant has had a complete refit or possibly rebuild since 2007. Quite a transformation and obviously a lot of money spent on it.

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by Guest 12.06.17 10:03

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Good spot!

I have no explanation for this.

I usually can explain the "dodgy" photos.

What has happened here?

by worriedmum 12.06.17 10:29

if they are buildings in the distance on the top right, they look different too. Look at the dark blobs like windows-4in pic 10, two plus 2 squiggles in pic 11...

by Verdi 12.06.17 13:38

There is always distortion in CCTV footage, the cheaper the device the poorer the quality of image - it doesn't signify.

Here's another random image of a one legged man for comparison..

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by Guest 12.06.17 14:12

Verdi wrote:There is always distortion in CCTV footage, the cheaper the device the poorer the quality of image - it doesn't signify.

Here's another random image of a one legged man for comparison..

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That one is not the same.
His leg is angled back at the knee.

No way is that the case in the waiter picture.

As you know I usually pick the picture theories apart.

It's not distortion or compression in this case. It really does look like a bad photoshop. The leg is chopped off above the knee and that is the same floor boards in both pictures.

I've been flicking back and forwards through the whole set of pictures for a while.

This one is really odd.

I can't think how this could have happened, or more importantly why?

If it is genuinely dodgy then something has been (badly) hidden by a crop from another frame.

by skyrocket 12.06.17 15:54

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - I agree with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] re: the boy's leg, in the cctv image you have produced above. And yes I agree [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.], there are many other oddities within these images.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - I can't explain this one rationally either. It's not just a case of a grainy/poor image quality.

But looking at your set of 4 images (thanks for those) I've just noticed something else - look at the top of the pram in pic 10. There are 2 black 'lumps' for want of a better word. The left hand one is most likely the end of the LH pram handle, but what about the second 'lump' in this shot only? There also seems to be an identical lump at the cut off point on the waiter's missing leg.

I have recollections that Paraiso owner Migual Matias was revealed to have been a shady character by the Portuguese press (hadn't he been involved with the police before?) - someone may recall what the story was. His story of Gerry McCann and Madeleine dancing together in his restaurant, which appeared in British press, was exposed as being mistaken identity or a blatant untruth. The set of cctv images wasn't given to the PJ until 8 May. Did someone get to them (and Matias) first?

IMO, if just one cctv image has been photoshopped, that mere fact alone is bigger than any of the other ramifications of these images being unreliable.

by Verdi 12.06.17 16:14

BlueBag wrote:
That one is not the same.
His leg is angled back at the knee.

Not so - you can watch the clip as he's walking here in the news report, about half way down the page..

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You will note, before the still previously posted, as he enters the room for a split second the leg disappears - also the waiter's leg partly disappears as he walks through the same beam of light.

Not convinced. CCTV footage varies considerably depending on the quality of the equipment the angle of the camera and where it's installed - different factors will make a significant difference to image quality.

by Guest 12.06.17 16:25

Sorry Verdie, that all looks quite natural to me.

It's nothing like the Paradiso.

The floorboards are visible and he's within the shaded section.

The leg stops above the knee.

Something is not right with this picture and you know what a stickler I am about the pictures.

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by Guest 12.06.17 16:34

No beams of light.

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by Verdi 12.06.17 16:36

BlueBag wrote:Sorry Verdie, that all looks quite natural to me.

OK fair enough, I'll leave it you!

by Guest 12.06.17 16:45

OK I changed my mind.

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His leg is behind the chair seat and the missing bit is light catching the edge of the seat mixed (by the magic of digital compression) with the lighter coloured floor.

He's also wearing an apron I think.

by Guest 12.06.17 16:49

Reminds me of the famous spaceman photo.

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Looks weird until you know the full story.

(It's the girl's Mum looking away from the camera).

by Liz Eagles 12.06.17 17:16

BlueBag wrote:OK I changed my mind.

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His leg is behind the chair seat and the missing bit is light catching the edge of the seat mixed (by the magic of digital compression) with the lighter coloured floor.

He's also wearing an apron I think.

I can't cope with another daft photo thread. I'm surprised someone hasn't said there's a weird black screw sticking out of the waiter's hip.

by Liz Eagles 12.06.17 17:28

MrsC wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Let's do stupid, picture shows Matt Oldfield's arm missing, then other picture shows Matt Oldfield's arm as some strange spectre.

by Guest 12.06.17 17:36

We got there in the end.

by skyrocket 12.06.17 17:40

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.])- that seems completely plausible and I am happy to take the waiter's leg as sorted. Thanks for your combined efforts.

I'm still not happy with these images in general but I'll live with them.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - I am not remotely embarrassed at having raised this point, and stating something is daft after it has proven to be unlikely doesn't count, you have to get in quicker than that! That's what this site is all about isn't it - raising questions; sometimes others coming up with answers and sometimes not; on rare occasions, hitting on something of relevance. A bit of teamwork goes a long way. m1264

by Liz Eagles 12.06.17 17:59

skyrocket wrote:[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] (and [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.])- that seems completely plausible and I am happy to take the waiter's leg as sorted. Thanks for your combined efforts.

I'm still not happy with these images in general but I'll live with them.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] - I am not remotely embarrassed at having raised this point, and stating something is daft after it has proven to be unlikely doesn't count, you have to get in quicker than that! That's what this site is all about isn't it - raising questions; sometimes others coming up with answers and sometimes not; on rare occasions, hitting on something of relevance. A bit of teamwork goes a long way.

Well that rather depends on what you mean by teamwork.

by **PeterMac** 08.02.24 9:17

STOP PRESS:

2024. 8 February

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Fire destroys iconic Praia da Luz beach restaurant

By
Michael Bruxo
-
7th February 2024

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Restaurant has been open at the beach for decades

Praia da Luz’s iconic Paraíso beach restaurant in Lagos has been destroyed by a fire.
The family-run business, which has been based at the beach since 1964, has been reduced to little more than the wooden support posts that held the restaurant up.
A source from the Algarve’s Regional Civil Protection and Emergency Command confirmed that authorities were alerted to the blaze at 12.07am. The flames were battled for just under two hours, having been extinguished at 1.54am.
No one was injured in the fire, the source confirmed, adding that there is no information so far as to whether anyone was inside the restaurant when the blaze started.
Twenty-five members of maritime police, local firefighting forces and civil protection services were called to the scene, aided by nine vehicles.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Paraíso has been a part of the Praia da Luz landscape for decades.
“What began in 1964 as a small food and beverage kiosk on the beach, a few years later expanded to include a small concession of awnings. The kiosk was subsequently enlarged, set up each bathing season, and dismantled at its end,” the restaurant’s website says.
“Then, in 1976, with much effort, it was expanded into a permanent building, where the Paraíso Bar-Restaurant was born. It remained operational until 2001 and reopened in 2002 with a new wooden remodelling,” it adds.
The Resident has tried unsuccessfully to contact the restaurant’s owners.
By Michael Bruxo
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