Lawyer from “Tapas 1”:

WITNESSES CAME TO THE ALGARVE TO REINFORCE TESTIMONY THAT CONTRADICTS THE MCCANNS

http://joana-morais.blogspot.com/2008/06/pj-brought-back-to-portugal-3-of.html

Friends are the PJ trumps

In a secret visit to Portugal, three persons who had dinner at the Tapas Bar shattered the McCanns and Jane Tanner versions

Fiona Payne, her mother Dianne Webster, and the husband David Payne. Are the main trumps of the Public Ministry that will lead the parents of Madeleine McCann, the missing girl, on the 3rd of May of 2007, from an apartment in Praia da Luz, Algarve, to be accused of the crimes of exposition and abandonment since they left the girl alone in that critical night. It is a crime that is punishable up to ten years of prison and allows the respective preventive arrests, like 24horas announced last week.

These three witnesses returned to Portugal, on the 11th of July of 2007, in a travel paid by the Portuguese State, and where accommodated in a hotel unity of Portimão. They were still questioned by Gonçalo Amaral’s team, the superior coordinator who was removed from the case, and they contradicted the McCann’s version regarding to what went on in the night of the disappearance.

Remember that Kate, Gerry and the other two couples with whom they had dinner, assured that they were taking turns in the vigilance to the children. A fact that was contradicted to the authorities in the above-mentioned secret travel by Fiona Payne and that had already been put in question in two previous statements, given on the days that followed to Maddie's disappearance, by her mother and her husband.

Jane Tanner Contradicted

“ Fiona Payne gave three statements to the authorities, as well as Matthew Oldfield and his companion, Rachel. Dianne Webster statement [Fiona's mother] was very solid and there was not need of questioning her again”, revealed to 24horas a judicial person in charge connected with the process. In accordance to the same source, “other persons who had dinner with the McCanns - Jane Tanner, her companion, Russell O'Brien, Matthew Oldfield and his wife, Rachel – gave contradictory statements”. And the judicial person in charge exemplifies: "”Jane Tanner always said that she went out from the restaurant to see her oldest daughter. Fiona, David and Dianne guaranteed to the PJ that she never left the restaurant before the alarm was given by Kate. This information was corroborated by several workers of the Tapas Bar restaurant”. These witnesses also stated that Gerry McCann did not even go to check on the children, when he went away of the restaurant, and that he only stayed at the apartment of Praia da Luz entrance.

The only person who stayed in Tapas Bar

Dianne Webster, of 63 years old, mother of Fiona Payne (36 years), was one of three persons who were available to return to Portugal and to help the authorities in the reconstitution of the facts taken place to the 3rd of May of 2007.
She was the only one that was quiet and calm when Kate McCann entered in the Tapas Bar shouting “they’ve taken her!”. The authorities were suspicious of her attitude and she told them that she did not believe in the version of the McCanns. She also pointed out to the PJ that each couple was responsible for their own children and that no one entered in the apartment of the friends[in each other’s apartments].

Facts
SECRET. The McCann organized a "secret" dinner with all the friends with whom they had dinner with at the Tapas, in the Praia da Luz, Algarve, before the rogatory letters sent for England were carried out.

ACCUSATION. The accusation to the McCanns is almost concluded and it should be known before of the 14 of July, the end date for the extended term to incriminate or not the British couple. The judicial authorities are still considering if they will not constitute more arguidos, since the McCann were not the only ones leaving their children alone.


Translated. The majority of you don't know but 24horas lately just has the on-line articles after 13pm or even later. Furthermore the on-line version of 24horas is the US version not the Portuguese one, so main pages with the McCanns case, sometimes do not appear.

Just wanted to add one more thing, I know majority of you believe 24horas to be untrustworthy but never forget what the journalists from 24horas have given us, aside Felícia Cabrita and Margarida Davim from SOL, the most important clues and evidences. Also 24horas journalists are not afraid of process like the Express Group, and they have showed that in previous high profiled cases. 24horas is currently much better reporting facts on this case than any formerly respected British Newspaper: for me the UK Media is the McCanns Media.

About the cowards: The only man who could pressure editorial guidelines as we have seen in the past year is Mr. Murdoch - Rupert, who owns several media outlets around the world including holdings in various press and TV station [Sky News] in the UK. Rupert the same man who creates and destroys the lives of politicians, the same man who serves as an advisor to the US President, and to the British Prime Minister. The Only Man who could pressure and in fact scare the living shit of all the Journalists and chief editors, who are too coward to do anything but oblige 'his masters voice'!

Influences, but still this is not the man running the show, he is a supporter of the master puppeteer.

Meanwhile remember this article Friends of McCanns 'scared to tell truth' from Tuesday, 12 November 2007 published in the Evening Standard and later on thisislondon.co.uk. Notice that the title and the article were updated, contents changed [deleted], the updated article can still be found here.

“It’s not that he is scared of the McCanns, but the economic and political lobby surrounding the couple is truly frightening to anybody.”

A friend of Kate and Gerry McCann wants to "reveal the whole truth" about the case but is frightened of the couple's political allies, a lawyer claimed yesterday.

One of the so-called Tapas Nine wants to help Portuguese police with the six-month investigation but "feels obliged to keep silent", according to the unnamed legal source.

The lawyer attacked the intervention of "certain politicians" in the case and said they had prejudiced the hunt to discover what really happened to Madeleine McCann. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband both spoke to the couple directly before the McCanns were made official suspects in the case.

Direct contact stopped when they were made arguidos in September but the Premier has been briefed on the case since then and raised it with his Portuguese counterpart last month.

The unnamed lawyer, who claimed to represent one of the Tapas Nine, told the respected Spanish newspaper El Mundo: "My client feels obliged to keep silent about what he can do to help the investigation, and not because of the Portuguese secrecy laws.

"It's not that he is scared of the McCanns, but the economic and political lobby surrounding the couple is truly frightening to anybody.

"What my client wants is to reveal the whole truth, but he does not mean to accuse or blame anyone, as that is the job of the police.

"The only thing he wants is to help the police discover the truth about what happened before, during and after that dinner on May 3."

McCann family spokesman Clarence Mitchell branded the report "utter rubbish" and insisted there was no rift between the couple and any of their friends.

He said the seven friends who dined with the McCanns that night only had one lawyer between them, and said he had not made any of the comments.


But the legal source said one friend had broken ranks and consulted his own lawyer without telling the others.

The lawyer said: "If you take into account all of the pressure that has been placed on my client and on other people, it is perfectly natural and understandable that my client has not told Clarence Mitchell of his decision to hire his own lawyer to co-operate more closely with the police."

He went on to attack the advisers surrounding the McCanns, who have led a worldwide campaign to find their missing daughter.

The London-based lawyer said: "I understand perfectly that our Government is legally obliged to help the McCanns. What I can't understand is that they have received help which goes far beyond what would be considered normal in a case like this.

"It's not my job to have to explain why and how certain politicians have intervened in this case, but I'm afraid these interventions have been prejudicial not only to my client but also for determining the truth."

He went on: "I don't want to accuse anyone, but there are people very close to the McCanns who are not helping them at all.

"The intention of my client is to bring to light the truth of this sad story, without any concern for who might be implicated."

Last week El Mundo reported that two of the Tapas Nine had contacted Portuguese police to ask to "correct" parts of their statements.

The claim followed speculation that contradictions and inconsistencies in the statements meant that police were about to make four of the group formal suspects in the case.

But it was denied by Mr Mitchell and individually by all of the members of the group contacted by the Daily Mail.

The lawyer was said to have been hired by one of the group in September, and repeated claims that the McCanns did not call the police on May 3 until the group discussed the possible implications of admitting they had all left their children alone while they ate dinner. He said: "The police were only informed after the group in question analysed the problems they could face for having left the children alone."

If true that a male member of the group has hired his own lawyer then it could only be Russell O'Brien, David Payne or Matthew Oldfield.

All three were named as among the four who could be made arguidos, along with Dr O'Brien's partner Jane Tanner, but they have all denied that they want to change their police statements.

Mr Mitchell said: "All of Kate and Gerry's friends speak as one, they have one lawyer and he has certainly not put out any statements on their behalf.

"None of the group have asked to change their stories and none have expressed any worries about being suppressed.

"To suggest that there is some kind of political pressure on the group to stay quiet is outrageous."

A friend added: "It's particularly disgusting to suggest that Kate and Gerry did not contact the police because they were worried about their childcare arrangements.

"Within five minutes of Kate raising the alarm one of the group had run to the Ocean Club reception to ask someone to call the police."

Meanwhile, in Portugal, police were said to be considering whether contradictions in the group's statements could have come from mis-translations from English to Portuguese.

The other official suspect in the case, Robert Murat, was among the translators used by police in the first days of the investigation.

The Portuguese newspaper 24 Horas said police suspected he might have "manipulated" statements made by the McCanns and their friends. His lawyer denied the claim.

By the "apartment of the entrance" I assume that they mean to say that Gerry left the table and walked up to the entrance of the Ocean Club but did not enter apartment 5A?

The report that no-one left the table ties in with some Tapas staff statements and also adds credibility to Pam Fenns statement that she heard a child crying an hour and 15 minutes (Although, I remain sceptical about this for other reasons)

But, what about Jez Wilkins? Did he really meet Gerry on his way back to the Tapas?

Was anyone missing from the group that night?  We have had various reports about some of the men missing dinner due to tummy bugs earlier in the week.

whmon wrote:I always found it to be very strange that none of the Tapas 7 have appeared either on TV or in the press (or even on line) to defend the Mccanns. Instead, they appear to have well and truly distanced themselves from the Mccanns. They don't even seem to have made an appearance in the pro-McCann forums to try to defend them anonymously as nothing I have ever read on those sites suggests an educated author, just the opposite actually (although I can imagine members of the families of Mr and Mrs posting on there.)

Yes the lack of support is very odd, however six of the friends did turn up for the Express pay-out.  Jane Tanner took part in the Panorama documentary and she also joined Kate in the Marathon (so we are told).

We are also told that the Tapas 9 met up in secret, late 2007.

Fiona Payne accompanied Kate to Portugal on one occasion when Gerry was too busy.