Re: Robert Murat Revisited

by j.rob 12.06.14 16:51

Sorry, think I got a few facts muddled. The family of the man who fled the country were next door neighbours to the Murat's when the Murat's lived in Almadena.

It appears that the girl's mother worked at the suspect's parents pub. Which is how he met her daughters and got one of their mobile numbers.

There may already be something on this so please move to a more appropriate place if necessary.

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by missbeetle 13.06.14 21:18

'Death threats forced me to flee Portugal'

Sunday Express
From Matt Drake IN LISBON and David Jarvis IN LOS ANGELES
10 February 2008

A BRITISH expat wanted for questioning about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has broken his silence about why he left the holiday resort where she vanished.

Christian Ridout, 32, claims he was hounded out of Praia da Luz after receiving death threats from locals and other expats amid accusations he groomed an under-age girl for sex.

Last night it was revealed that Ridout, who has been working as a paparazzi photographer under the name Dexter Troy, has been trailing stars such as David Beckham and Britney Spears on the streets of Los Angeles.

When the Sunday Express tracked him down, Ridout, also known as DJ Shifty, said he was the victim of a "witch hunt".

Speaking for the first time at his Los Angeles bolt-hole, he said he went on the run in 2005.

Expats in Praia da Luz had vowed revenge after rumours he had sent obscene text messages to a 12-year-old British girl while working in his parents' pub 200 yards from where Madeleine disappeared.

The locals immediately identified him to police as a possible suspect when Madeleine vanished nine months ago.

Ridout's father and stepmother own the pub and live next door to Robert Murat, the first official suspect in the case.

Ridout insisted he has not been back to Portugal for almost three years, despite reports that he frequently visits his parents.

He said he was working for a picture agency in London when Madeleine disappeared. He said:

"I've done nothing wrong. I was driven out of Praia da Luz by a witch-hunt over a simple mistake and it seems the expats there will never let it go.

"I've finally got my life back on track in Los Angeles but then this all comes up again.

"My attitude has been to run away from it all and perhaps looking back it wasn't the right thing to do but I genuinely feared for my life and panicked.

"The people threatening me are the type who would come after me if they knew where I was. I changed my identity to protect myself from them, not the police." Ridout says pay slips from his former employer – a picture agency World Entertainment News Network – prove he was working in London when Madeleine vanished. He maintains the text messages were never intended for the 12-year-old girl and that he sent them to her by mistake.

Ridout says he is willing to speak to authorities about the McCann investigation but refuses to go back to Portugal.

"It's crazy I have been caught up in the McCann investigation when I haven't set foot in Portugal and Praia da Luz for almost three years, " he said.

"I was watching the news at my mother's house in Bournemouth when Madeleine disappeared and I knew straight away what would happen." Last night the McCanns' spokesman Clarence Mitchell confirmed that detectives working for the couple were anxious to speak to Ridout. He said: "If nothing else it could help rule him out of the investigation."

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(from the Maddie Case Files)

by missbeetle 13.06.14 22:07

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />(clipped from Tony's post on page 7 of this thread)

I never knew Robert Murat had lived in Canada as a child.

by missbeetle 13.06.14 22:11

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />" />" />

by Guest 13.06.14 22:24

Possibly...what?

by missbeetle 13.06.14 22:40

Scowling child has - to my mind - same divergent squint, lip-line/dimples and shoulder/neck shape as child to the right.

Possibly same cowlick under the fringe.

I could be entirely wrong, but I wonder if there is a missed Healy/Murat link here - it was reading that the Murats had spent time in Canada that got me thinking.

by Guest 13.06.14 22:45

Sorry, this is too cryptic for me. Who are these children, and what is your point, please?

by missbeetle 13.06.14 23:01

Ladyinred wrote:Sorry, this is too cryptic for me. Who are these children, and what is your point, please?

The scowling child on the left is un-named, the provenance of the picture unknown, another poster suggested it might be a still from a video.

So - random picture of Kate, with a blonde girl who may be Madeleine (I don't think so), or a family friend.

The two pictures from the right are of Sophia Murat, Robert's daughter, July 2007, printed in the UK press.

I wonder if Kate, somehow, has friends or relatives in common with the Murats, other than through Gerry.

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by Guest 14.06.14 10:27

Must admit that I can't see a resemblance between the sulky child (whoever she is) and the photos of Sofia Murat.

However, the same goes for many photos which are claimed to be of Madeleine......

by j.rob 19.06.14 16:39

When did Robert Murat fly out to Portugal before Madeleine 'went missing'? I think it was suggested it was a late night flight. Was it arranged at the last minute or was it planned in advance?

I think I read in a newspaper report (maybe on McCann Files) that Peter Smith, son of Martin Smith, heard about the 'abduction' when he was at the airport the next morning with his family, waiting for the flight home. I think it was reported that he had heard the news from 'a builder' at the airport or even 'the builder'. Which I took to mean (maybe incorrectly) as 'the builder of the apartment the Smith's owned.'

Could be wrong, though. I will try to find the article. The inclusion of the word: 'builder' struck me as slightly odd at the time.

Which I understand was jointly owned with someone else. Would be interesting to know who the co-owners were/are.

I think there were some frantic last-minute arrangements being made that week - possibly dating back to Monday?

I wonder how well the Smith family know Robert Murat and how many mutual acquaintances they have?

If the person the Smith family saw really WAS Gerry carrying Madeleine (or one of their friends who looked like him) it has to be the most unfortunate coincidence that a family OF NINE!! just happened to walk straight past him that evening. Given that it was off-season and, according to many reports, very quiet that week.

What bad luck! Unless it wasn't a coincidence of course?!

Anything is possible in this case.

by j.rob 19.06.14 16:43

Tony Bennett wrote:
j.rob wrote:Was Murat a 'double bluff'? - as in he was identified by many of the Tapas gang as having being outside the McCann's apartment the evening that Madeleine was allegedly 'abducted'...so they all 'pointed the finger' on cue....

Which put him up as being 'falsely accused' - when in actual fact he was instrumental in some way in what happened.
Just to put it on the record once again, I do not think that Robert Murat played any part in causing the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

But in answer to your query, I will list 10 points of concern about Robert Murat:

1. There are indications that he and Gerry McCann already knew each other before April 2007
2. For no apparent reason, he suddenly booked a flight at midnight on 30 April/1 May 2007 and flew out to Faro hours later from Exeter, near where he was living at the time
3. As you may have seen on the thread, he lied comprehensively to the police about his movements on 1 to 3 May, when first interviewed, changing his story in at least 17 respects two months later
4. He seems to have been deliberately framed by British secuirty services, who told the PJ that he fitted the crimnal profile of the likley abductor
5. He was framed by Jane Tanner, who insisted it was Murat she saw at 9.15pm on 3 May. She later changed her story
6. He was also framed in the two days that followed by three more of the Tapas AND later by four more others, who all said he was hanging round the Ocean Club on the evening of 3 May. AGAIN, all changed their stories later.

From points 1 to 6, I see evidence that Robert Murat was called in to do a job, maybe act as a willing patsy, becoming a prime suspect and taking the heat off someone else.

In addition,

7. He admitted to regularly watching hard core porn on the 'Red Clouds' site
8. A witness said he had child sex abuse material on his computer
9. The PJ said he had encrypted material on his computer - which Murat could not explain, and
10. A witness who knew him well, Carlos Costa, gave a detailed description of his sexual deviancy as a teenager, which included sex or attempted sex with animals.

Points 7 to 10 raise obvious concerns.

This answers at least the question about when Murat flew out.And raises some other interesting points. Thanks.

by Latetothecase 19.06.14 16:53

Robert Murat quite strenuously denied ever meeting GERALD mccann.

He did not say anything about any other members, Healy, McCann or otherwise.

He could quite well be factually correct.

The aspect of him deliberately making the point he is a Conservative in that very conversation is also worthy of a note I would have thought.

by missbeetle 20.06.14 10:38

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />
Murat's lawyer, circa May 2008.

by missbeetle 01.07.14 21:39

I never knew Robert Murat's father had been married before!

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(snipped from Telegraph article dated 16th May 2007)

Nor did I know that John Murat himself was half English.

Does anyone know if there were any children from his first marriage?

by Guest 01.07.14 22:07

Miss Beetle is talking of children (if any) from Robert Murat's father's first marriage.

There are pictures here of Robert's daughter from his first marriage.

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by missbeetle 01.07.14 22:14

Snifferdog wrote:Yes, miss Beetle, Murat has a daughter S who was born at a date close to MBM. She also looks somewhat like MBM. There is a press clip about his daughter. Sorry I am unable to post up images otherwise it would be my pleasure to. Perhaps Pamalam's site has the article. It has a photo of his daughter S as well.

Hi Snifferdog -

Thank you, it was Robert Murat's father John who I wasn't aware had been married before.

Robert Murat may have other brothers and sisters aside from Richard in Warwick and Samantha in Exeter.

I am also wondering about the John/Jenny Murats spending time in Canada in the early 1970s... (according to Tony).

by Snifferdog 01.07.14 22:26

I realized after I reread your post that you were not asking about RM's daughter so I deleted my post, but you were too quick for me yes

by missbeetle 01.07.14 22:36

No worries, Snifferdog!

Another mild Robert Murat oddity - his maternal grandmother was named Madeleine.

by missbeetle 02.07.14 2:09

'Putos & Graudos'

Would anyone be able to translate this business title into English, please?

by Snifferdog 02.07.14 7:03

missbeetle wrote:'Putos & Graudos'

Would anyone be able to translate this business title into English, please?

Putos means male prostitute. Graudos large, big, high profile.

by missbeetle 02.07.14 8:22

Snifferdog wrote:
missbeetle wrote:'Putos & Graudos'

Would anyone be able to translate this business title into English, please?

Putos means male prostitute. Graudos large, big, high profile.

Not the best name for a shop selling children's clothes, then...?

by Guest 02.07.14 9:50

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Apparently the word putos has an innocent meaning in Portugal.

by missbeetle 04.07.14 9:04

Hi Tony - would you mind please expanding on your statement that Robert Murat lived in Canada as a boy?

Nowhere is this mentioned by him, his mother or friends.

He does, however, not appear to remember where he started primary school :

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(Bob-a-job-Rob pictured in a still from a Telegraph video clip, dated 5th June, 2007)

by Guest 04.07.14 9:25

missbeetle wrote:Hi Tony - would you mind please expanding on your statement that Robert Murat lived in Canada as a boy?

Missbeetle, have you seen the movie The Usual Suspects?

Obviously in this version of the tale "Canada" was one of the words on the pinboard.

by FrankS 04.07.14 9:30

Clay Regazzoni wrote:
missbeetle wrote:Hi Tony - would you mind please expanding on your statement that Robert Murat lived in Canada as a boy?

Missbeetle, have you seen the movie The Usual Suspects?

Obviously in this version of the tale "Canada" was one of the words on the pinboard.

Haha - Brilliant.