Re: Robert Murat Revisited

by **Tony Bennett** Sun Feb 23, 2014 1:48 pm

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Post subject: Murat Telephone Conversation with UK Police Officer Phil
PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:46 pm
Posted by Ines

Processos Vol VI

Pages 1683 – 1691

Transcript of Telephone Interceptions

On 2nd June 2007, in the installations of the Portimao DIC, I, Carlos Moura, Police Interpreter, proceeded to effect the audition of the telephone registers relating to the code 1L769M, translating them into Portuguese:

Session nº 56

Elements related to the transcript:

Information Related to the Session:

Code : 1L769M
Session number: 56
Caller nº¨351282697628
Destination nº : 917462308
Time of initiation of call: 15.05.2007 15:15:08
Final time: 15.05.2007 15.27.31

Conversation in English.

Transcription:

Phil: (inaudible)

Rob: I’m sorry (laughs) sorry. Ahm..you probably don’t know me, I’m the man (inaudible) on the television at the moment.

Phil: Hi Robert, yes...

Rob: How are you? Are you well?

Phil: yes, I’m fine, call me Phil, how are you?

Rob: Hi Phil!

Phil: I’m fine..at the moment I’m at Sally’s house.

Rob: Yes.

Phil: But all the family is here, thats why....

Rob: Yes.

Phil: I’m a police officer from the UK.

Rob: Yes.

Phil: Ahm..Sally told me about your mobile, ahm.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Thanks for posting this - particularly as it relates to Murat-related matters being discussed also on the 'Car Hire' thread.

From the above:

1. Phil, a British police officer, 'phones someone he clearly already knows well, Sally Eveleigh.

2. He asks to speak to Robert Murat, at 3.15pm on the very day he is arrested

3. The call lasts 12 minutes

4. They discuss what the PJ might or might not know from his mobile 'phone pings, his mobile 'phone now being in the hands of the police.

IMO the significance of this 'phone call cannot be overestimated, and I've always been suprised how liytle discussion there has been of it.

The questions:

1. Who was 'Phil'? - what is his name?

2. Was he currently, then, working for the British police, or was he then retired?

3. How well did 'Phil' know the Murats and the Eveleighs?

4. What was it that prompted this 'phone call? (It looks as though it was prompted by Murat asking desperately for help about what the police could find out from his mobile 'phone?

And as we know later, on 10 and 11 July, when he was re-interviewed by the PJ, the tissue of lies he had woven about his movements from 1 to 4 May were brutally exposed by his mobile 'phone pings.

Why was Murat so anxious to find out what was revealed by his mobile 'phone?

by Watching Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:01 pm

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

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Post subject: Murat Telephone Conversation with UK Police Officer Phil
PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 3:46 pm
Posted by Ines

Processos Vol VI

Pages 1683 – 1691

Transcript of Telephone Interceptions

On 2nd June 2007, in the installations of the Portimao DIC, I, Carlos Moura, Police Interpreter, proceeded to effect the audition of the telephone registers relating to the code 1L769M, translating them into Portuguese:

Session nº 56

Elements related to the transcript:

Information Related to the Session:

Code : 1L769M
Session number: 56
Caller nº¨351282697628
Destination nº : 917462308
Time of initiation of call: 15.05.2007 15:15:08
Final time: 15.05.2007 15.27.31

Conversation in English.

Transcription:

Phil: (inaudible)

Rob: I’m sorry (laughs) sorry. Ahm..you probably don’t know me, I’m the man (inaudible) on the television at the moment.

Phil: Hi Robert, yes...

Rob: How are you? Are you well?

Phil: yes, I’m fine, call me Phil, how are you?

Rob: Hi Phil!

Phil: I’m fine..at the moment I’m at Sally’s house.

Rob: Yes.

Phil: But all the family is here, thats why....

Rob: Yes.

Phil: I’m a police officer from the UK.

Rob: Yes.

Phil: Ahm..Sally told me about your mobile, ahm.[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Thanks for posting this - particularly as it relates to Murat-related matters being discussed also on the 'Car Hire' thread.

From the above:

1. Phil, a British police officer, 'phones someone he clearly already knows well, Sally Eveleigh.

2. He asks to speak to Robert Murat, at 3.15pm on the very day he is arrested

3. The call lasts 12 minutes

4. They discuss what the PJ might or might not know from his mobile 'phone pings, his mobile 'phone now being in the hands of the police.

IMO the significance of this 'phone call cannot be overestimated, and I've always been suprised how liytle discussion there has been of it.

The questions:

1. Who was 'Phil'? - what is his name?

2. Was he currently, then, working for the British police, or was he then retired?

3. How well did 'Phil' know the Murats and the Eveleighs?

4. What was it that prompted this 'phone call? (It looks as though it was prompted by Murat asking desperately for help about what the police could find out from his mobile 'phone?

And as we know later, on 10 and 11 July, when he was re-interviewed by the PJ, the tissue of lies he had woven about his movements from 1 to 4 May were brutally exposed by his mobile 'phone pings.

Why was Murat so anxious to find out what was revealed by his mobile 'phone?

Agree Mr Bennett. Murat is not squeaky clean in this case. Mrs McCann made it clear that she felt he was involved. Mr McCann did not. He kept tight lipped.

Mr & Mrs not being 'in tune' re Murat is suspicious in itself!

by Guest Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:08 pm

Agreed. Why was Murat so concerned about a trace on his movements?

There is also some interesting background reading here:-

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Interesting all the Exeter connections, the Portugal property owned by the Eveleighs and the theory that MBM was 'selected' in the UK.

Sally Eveleigh apparently works for an adoption agency - does anyone else have any more infor about this - domestic or international for example?

All imo

by Hicks Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:37 pm

BlackCatBoogie wrote:Agreed. Why was Murat so concerned about a trace on his movements?

There is also some interesting background reading here:-

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Interesting all the Exeter connections, the Portugal property owned by the Eveleighs and the theory that MBM was 'selected' in the UK.

Sally Eveleigh apparently works for an adoption agency - does anyone else have any more infor about this - domestic or international for example?

All imo

I think the Everleigh's run a B&B in Portugal. If you Google the name links will appear advertising several business interests. IIRC there is one dedicated to adults only. Of course in this kind of setting SE would have access to many people from around the world.
If illegal adoption was your game what better way to meet potential clients!
It could have been the plan regards Madeleine but due to an accident and death there was a 'disaster' instead.

There seems to be evidence of a plan thought up before the holiday, like the postcard type photo's of Madeleine produced on the night she went missing.

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:38 pm

Here are a few more of those odd coincidences:

Around Christmas 2006, Murat is understood to have moved into the apartment that Ms Walczuch shared with her ex-partner Luis Antonio, apparently with his full agreement. It is believed Murat stayed there for a few months and that subsequently Ms Walczuch was a frequent visitor to Casa Liliana.

Just prior to May 3rd, Murat spent 10 days at his sister's home in Exeter, whilst he did some work on a property his mother owns in nearby Sidmouth. His sister's home is less than a mile from the house where Jane Tanner and Russell O'Brien live.

It has been speculated that there may be some connection as Tanner and O'Brien are neighbours of James and Charlotte Gorrod, who were also at the resort at the same time as the 'Tapas Nine'. Murat returned to Praia da Luz two days before Madeleine's disappearance.

For a fuller account, here is the link: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:44 pm

BlackCatBoogie wrote:Agreed. Why was Murat so concerned about a trace on his movements?

There is also some interesting background reading here:-

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Interesting all the Exeter connections, the Portugal property owned by the Eveleighs and the theory that MBM was 'selected' in the UK.

Sally Eveleigh apparently works for an adoption agency - does anyone else have any more infor about this - domestic or international for example?

All imo

Exactly! Why was Murat concerned about his English phone line and what it could reveal. If he is as squeaky clean as he professes to be, then I would welcome the fact that my movements and calls could be traced. Again, there's something very ODD about Murat. Moreover, I recall, when questioned, he said his relationship with Michaela was nothing more than a working relationship and he could never marry her because "she is a Jehovah's Witness". What changed?

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 2:52 pm

Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?

by Watching The Detectives Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:25 pm

From the thread 'Phone calls to Robert Murat from Martin Brunt' we have the following snippet of conversation from 15th May 2007

"MB: Eh...we know that you suspect that your calls are being listened to, because of this...

RM: Humm, hmmm."

So, Murat's telephone conversations should be viewed in light of the fact that he believed his conversations were being listened to.

by HelenMeg Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:47 pm

Just trying to jot down a bit of a timeline for RM:

1st May: Back to PdL after 10 days in Exeter

2nd May:
Met Malika at Batista - then took Malinka and Michaela to his Mum's house for more talks
Met his lawyer that morning too and then again in afternoon
Switched mobile phone off at 3pm for rest of day (within 6 mins of GM's mobile being switched off)

3rd May
At Palmares Golf Club in afternoon (initially lied about this )
Mobile phone back on late evening (within 6 mins of GM's mobile phone being switched back on)
Phoned Malinka at 11:39pm

need to build on this - was it possible that Gerry met him at the golf club on 3rd May afternoon. I have suspected previously that GM was superimposed on last photo in order to prove he was at OC instead of elsewhere.
I am wondering whether GM's phone was switched off at 3pm 3rd May so that he could go somewhere without being traced by signal.

by HelenMeg Sun Feb 23, 2014 3:58 pm

HelenMeg wrote:Just trying to jot down a bit of a timeline for RM:

1st May: Back to PdL after 10 days in Exeter

2nd May:
Met Malika at Batista - then took Malinka and Michaela to his Mum's house for more talks
Met his lawyer that morning too and then again in afternoon
Switched mobile phone off at 3pm for rest of day (within 6 mins of GM's mobile being switched off)

3rd May
At Palmares Golf Club in afternoon (initially lied about this )
Mobile phone back on late evening (within 6 mins of GM's mobile phone being switched back on)
Phoned Malinka at 11:39pm

need to build on this - was it possible that Gerry met him at the golf club on 3rd May afternoon. I have suspected previously that GM was superimposed on last photo in order to prove he was at OC instead of elsewhere.
I am wondering whether GM's phone was switched off at 3pm 3rd May so that he could go somewhere without being traced by signal.

"I've never met the man before and the idea that I'd met him when he was campaigning for the Labour Party is laughable. I've been a Conservative all my life."

Robert Murat on Gerry McCann, Daily Express, 14 September 2007 (no link,

This is not the response of someone who has not genuinely met GM - too much embellishment. If GM was innocent which at the time it was presumed he was, then RM would have no reason to give an impression that 'no way do I know Gerry Mc Cann'.
He would just say no, OR YES - no problem either way. Instead, he strenuously denies knowledge - which can only be because there is something to cover up at all costs.

by RIPM Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:05 pm

sallypelt wrote:Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?

I was unaware Charlotte Pennington had given a police statement regarding seeing Murat on the night of May 3, could you tell me where to find it please.

We know she spoke to Metado 3 but obviously that is a very dubious source to rely on.You ask can Oldfield be lying IMO definitely YES

by HelenMeg Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:11 pm

RIPM wrote:
sallypelt wrote:Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?
I was unaware Charlotte Pennington had given a police statement regarding seeing Murat on the night of May 3, could you tell me where to find it please.

We know she spoke to Metado 3 but obviously that is a very dubious source to rely on.You ask can Oldfield be lying IMO definitely YES

There s no reason to suspect that either CP or MO would be telling the truth. If a decision had been made to divert attention to RM, then these two could be expected to help shift attention to RM.

by noddy100 Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:28 pm

I have often thought that RM was involved with KM and GM and their group in some other way by providing certain services/requirements in pdeL
and had nothing to do with MM going missing but has had to lie because of what he was actually doing

by tiny Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:34 pm

noddy100 wrote:I have often thought that RM was involved with KM and GM and their group in some other way by providing certain services/requirements in pdeL
and had nothing to do with MM going missing but has had to lie because of what he was actually doing

I think the same.

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 4:54 pm

RIPM wrote:
sallypelt wrote:Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?
I was unaware Charlotte Pennington had given a police statement regarding seeing Murat on the night of May 3, could you tell me where to find it please.

We know she spoke to Metado 3 but obviously that is a very dubious source to rely on.You ask can Oldfield be lying IMO definitely YES

I didn't say she said it in a police statement. All I said was, that she was adamant, according to the Madeleine Files, that she saw Murat that night, and I gave the link so people can read it for themselves.

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:04 pm

Here is another ODD statement. Why did the McCann's say that Madeleine was NEVER called "Maddy". This IS from C Pennington's
PJ files, whereby Robert Murat is translator:

[Charlotte Pennington states] that as she [referring to Madeleine]was an intelligent child, timid at first contact, and who later felt more comfortable, was a child who conversed normally for her age, and was of a calm demeanour. She adds that it was usual for Madeleine to be called "Maddy", as this is how she [Madeleine] presented herself to the witness;

So, is C Pennington selective in her lies, and if so, why?

by RIPM Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:51 pm

sallypelt wrote:
RIPM wrote:
sallypelt wrote:Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?
I was unaware Charlotte Pennington had given a police statement regarding seeing Murat on the night of May 3, could you tell me where to find it please.

We know she spoke to Metado 3 but obviously that is a very dubious source to rely on.You ask can Oldfield be lying IMO definitely YES
I didn't say she said it in a police statement. All I said was, that she was adamant, according to the Madeleine Files, that she saw Murat that night, and I gave the link so people can read it for themselves.

I apologise,in your post there was no link to the Macann files on my screen, as you can see above. I wonder if other readers have the same problem?

The reason I asked was it a police statement was that I find statements given by Macann outfits like the Metado 3 and the Sunday Mirror, totally unreliable drivel and implicating Murat on tittle tattle, is unfair.

In the Metado 3 statement I have read they also say CP said she saw Murat at midnight, not 10.30pm as she says, but as I say totally unreliable drivel

by **Tony Bennett** Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:55 pm

HelenMeg wrote:
"I've never met the man before and the idea that I'd met him when he was campaigning for the Labour Party is laughable. I've been a Conservative all my life."

Robert Murat on Gerry McCann, Daily Express, 14 September 2007 (no link),

This is not the response of someone who has not genuinely met GM - too much embellishment.

Quite right. If Hobs, our resident expert, was around, I am sure she would agree that there was no need for Murat to add anything to: 'I've never met the man before'.

So, let's assume Murat and Gerry McCann had met before.

Then put that with Gerry saying: "I'm not going to comment on that" when asked the simple question: 'Do you already know Robert Murat?' Gerry looked embarrassed by the question, and turned his head and eyes smartly away from the interviewer.

Put that together with claims from the PJ released files that Murat and Gerry McCann both had their mobile 'phones switched off for an identical period of 32 hours, and where does that take us in the analysis of this case?

The apparent fact that they DID know each other before is one that must feature in any true understanding of what really happened to Madeleine McCann.

The 'Eyes for Lies' website has a brilliant analysis of an interview Robert Murat gave in early 2008 btw

by **tigger** Sun Feb 23, 2014 5:56 pm

HelenMeg wrote:Just trying to jot down a bit of a timeline for RM:

1st May: Back to PdL after 10 days in Exeter

2nd May:
Met Malika at Batista - then took Malinka and Michaela to his Mum's house for more talks
Met his lawyer that morning too and then again in afternoon
Switched mobile phone off at 3pm for rest of day (within 6 mins of GM's mobile being switched off)

3rd May
At Palmares Golf Club in afternoon (initially lied about this )
Mobile phone back on late evening (within 6 mins of GM's mobile phone being switched back on)
Phoned Malinka at 11:39pm

need to build on this - was it possible that Gerry met him at the golf club on 3rd May afternoon. I have suspected previously that GM was superimposed on last photo in order to prove he was at OC instead of elsewhere.
I am wondering whether GM's phone was switched off at 3pm 3rd May so that he could go somewhere without being traced by signal.

Nice one, double whammy, prove self and Madeleine to have been present and correct on that date at that time. Trump card, which is exactly how he tends to play it. winkwink

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:01 pm

RIPM wrote:
sallypelt wrote:
RIPM wrote:
sallypelt wrote:Why was Charlotte Pennington adamant that she saw Murat at 10:30 PM at the Ocean Club on the night of 3 May? And why did Oldfield say that he was TALKING to Murat at 1:00 AM on the morning of 4 May? All the people can't be lying...............can they?
I was unaware Charlotte Pennington had given a police statement regarding seeing Murat on the night of May 3, could you tell me where to find it please.

We know she spoke to Metado 3 but obviously that is a very dubious source to rely on.You ask can Oldfield be lying IMO definitely YES
I didn't say she said it in a police statement. All I said was, that she was adamant, according to the Madeleine Files, that she saw Murat that night, and I gave the link so people can read it for themselves.
I apologise,in your post there was no link to the Macann files on my screen, as you can see above. I wonder if other readers have the same problem?

The reason I asked was it a police statement was that I find statements given by Macann outfits like the Metado 3 and the Sunday Mirror, totally unreliable drivel and implicating Murat on tittle tattle, is unfair.

In the Metado 3 statement I have read they also say CP said she saw Murat at midnight, not 10.30pm as she says, but as I say totally unreliable drivel

RIMP, here is the link to the McCann files. C Pennington appears to have said she saw R Murat at "10:30" but later, she said she saw him at "midnight"

Snipped

'Charlotte said she saw him (Murat) near the McCanns’ holiday flat at around midnight. Yesterday it was claimed police used Murat as a translator — giving him access to the crime scene — as he was a long-time informant.'

This account, which does not come with a direct quote, does, however, appear to be sourced directly from Miss Pennington. Yet, it clearly contradicts her previous statement that she saw Murat at 10:30pm, in the street outside the lobby, just before they were about to launch their 'big search'.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

by MissDaisy Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:06 pm

sallypelt wrote:Here is another ODD statement. Why did the McCann's say that Madeleine was NEVER called "Maddy". This IS from C Pennington's
PJ files, whereby Robert Murat is translator:

[Charlotte Pennington states] that as she [referring to Madeleine]was an intelligent child, timid at first contact, and who later felt more comfortable, was a child who conversed normally for her age, and was of a calm demeanour. She adds that it was usual for Madeleine to be called "Maddy", as this is how she [Madeleine] presented herself to the witness;

So, is C Pennington selective in her lies, and if so, why?

I wonder if Mrs Fenn may have heard someone calling "Madddy, Maddy" instead of Daddy.

by **Tony Bennett** Sun Feb 23, 2014 6:59 pm

sallypelt wrote:
This account, which does not come with a direct quote, does, however, appear to be sourced directly from Miss Pennington. Yet, it clearly contradicts her previous statement that she saw Murat at 10:30pm

Altogther, I made it EIGHT separate people who all claimed they saw Robert Murat hanging around outside the Ocean Club around 10pm to 11pm on 3 May.

Yet, amazingly, ALL EIGHT later changed their minds. Here's how that change of heart came about, writtewn up in a 122-page article I wrote nearly 4 years ago. I also dealt with how Jane Tanner reversed her previous identification of Robert Murat as the person she claimed to have seen walking near Apartmnt 5A at around 9.15pm on 3 May. Here's an extract from that article:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The McCann Team edge away from identifying Murat as the alleged abductor

To recapitulate, Jane Tanner told police the night that Madeleine was reported missing that she saw an abductor walking ‘purposefully’ away from the McCanns’ apartment.

Just eleven days later, she saw Murat (though not knowing him by name, she says) passing a police van in which she was hidden. She instantly said to the police officers with her that she recognised Murat as the abductor. On the strength of her testimony, together with some other suspicions about him, Murat was arrested.

We also saw how Jane Tanner, still maintaining that Murat was the abductor, came up with an artists’ sketch that did not look like Murat (‘bundleman’) and then went even further saying that ‘Monster Man’/‘George Harrison man’ could be the face of the abductor. He looked even less like Murat.

We’ll now look at some curious statements by the McCann Team about whether or not they still believed Murat to be the abductor.

By 16 November (the day before the date when the 'Tapas 9' had their reunion at the Rothley Court Manor Hotel), Jane Tanner seemed to be deliberately preparing the ground for Robert Murat no longer to be identified by her and three of the other ‘Tapas 9’ friends as the suspected abductor.

A Daily Mail article on Friday 16 November 2007 began: “The woman [Jane Tanner] who believes she saw Madeleine McCann being abducted revealed yesterday that she has never named Robert Murat to police as the man she saw (this may well be true, but it was a deliberately misleading half-truth). Instead, she thinks he was ‘Mediterranean-looking’. She admitted: ‘I simply don't know if I could identify again the man I saw that night. I've never pointed the finger at Robert Murat because I simply don't know if it was him or not. I would say the man I saw was more local or Mediterranean looking, rather than British. He had dark, almost black, long hair and had swarthy skin. He was dressed in that sort of smart casual way European people dress”.

As we have already seen, the claim that she’d ‘never pointed a finger at Robert Murat’ was untrue as she had of course positively identified him from that police van back in May. The story appeared to be a clear and deliberate shift by the McCann camp in possible moves to lift the finger of suspicion away from Murat. The timing of this Mail article just three days after Brian Kennedy and his lawyer met Murat and his lawyer in Portugal (see below) is of great interest.

We’ll pause just for a moment to look at a series of particularly significant events that seem to have taken place around this time. Here’s a brief timeline of them:

Friday 7 & Saturday 8 November: Several newspapers in Portugal and then England carry news that two (or one in one report) members of the ‘Tapas 9’ wanted to change their statements. The source appears to be the Portuguese lawyer for one of the ‘Tapas 9’. Other reports did not say the person was a member of the ‘Tapas 9’ but simply described the couple who wanted to change their statement as ‘friends of the McCanns’.

Tuesday 13 November: Brian Kennedy and his in-house lawyer Edward Smethurst have meetings with Robert Murat, Metodo 3 and the Portuguese Police in Praia da Luz and Portimão. (Below we discuss this very significant set of meetings in more detail). We know the meeting with the Portuguese Police took place in Portimão on Tuesday 13 November, and Kennedy’s meeting with Murat may have been that day or one day either side of it. There has been much speculation about what kind of understanding might have been reached between that Kennedy, Smethurst and Murat at that meeting. None of those involved are keen to say what was discussed.

Wednesday 14 November: Portuguese Police source quoted as saying that they have over 100 questions to ask the McCanns and their ‘Tapas 9’ friends but are being subject to unreasonable delays by the British authorities.

Friday 16 November: Daily Mail carries an article featuring Jane Tanner saying she has never pointed the finger of suspicion at Robert Murat.

Saturday 17 November: The ‘Tapas 9’ group met all day at the Rothley Manor Court Hotel, Leicestershire, along with representatives of Metodo 3, and no doubt various lawyers and other advisers. News of this secret meeting did not leak out to British newspapers until 11 December.

Sunday 18 November: Dr Gerald McCann quoted as saying that they believed a ‘predator’ had been stalking the apartment in the days before Madeleine was reported missing.

Monday 19 November: Hour-long BBC Panorama programme on the Madeleine McCann case by reporter Richard Bilton. There’s little original in the documentary and it reinforces the abduction line.

Monday 19 November: The METRO free paper boldly wrote: “A witness spotted Murat's German girlfriend, Michaela Walczuk, in a car with Maddie, on 5 May, in central Portugal”, while on the same day, the Daily Mail published a similar story: “According to a source, a new witness identified Michaela Walczuk as the woman seen with the missing child, in central Portugal, 160 kilometres [100 miles] from where she disappeared on May 3rd”.

Tuesday 20 November: Jane Tanner quoted by the Daily Mirror insisting that she really did see ‘Maddie’s abductor’.

Now we move on to consider another twist. As 2008 began, the Daily Mail, on 1 January 2008, carried a prominent story featuring Dr Kate McCann’s claim that she still believed that Robert Murat was involved in Madeleine’s disappearance. It had all the hallmarks of another story crafted by Clarence Mitchell. xtracts from the report, written by Vanessa Allen, included the following:

QUOTE

“Kate McCann is suspicious about Robert Murat's alibi for the night her daughter Madeleine vanished, it was revealed yesterday. The mother of three has confided to friends that she believes there are questions about the British expat that need to be answered. Mrs McCann's doubts emerged after the Daily Mail reported that seven witnesses claim to have seen Mr Murat near the McCanns' holiday apartment on the night of May 3rd.

“He has always insisted he was at home all night at the villa he shares with his elderly mother in Praia da Luz, near the Mark Warner holiday complex. A friend of Kate and her husband Gerry said: ‘Kate has always felt there are questions concerning Murat and a body of evidence contrary to what he is saying. Gerry doesn't know whether he is involved but Kate has always been suspicious’.

“Mrs McCann, 39, has avoided publicly voicing suspicions about Mr Murat. She and Gerry, also 39, even called for calm after he was made an official suspect on May 14 and appealed for him to be treated fairly.

“Mr Murat, a property consultant, insists he did not learn about Madeleine's disappearance until the next morning and was not aware of the massive search going on less than 100 yards from his villa, Casa Liliana. But a source close to Mrs McCann said: ‘We now have a number of people who have come forward quite independently of us and volunteered information directly in contradiction to what he has said’. Three friends of the McCanns, Rachael Oldfield, Fiona Payne and Russell O'Brien, told police in July [NOTE: That should of course h\ave read 'May'] that they saw Mr Murat near the Ocean Club holiday complex while they were searching for Madeleine. They are said to have given statements to Portuguese police saying he introduced himself to them [that night] and said: ‘I am Robert. Can I help in the search?’

“Charlotte Pennington, 20, a nanny at the Mark Warner complex, has said she saw Mr Murat on May 4, when he was working as a police translator, and recognised him as a man she had seen near the Ocean Club at midnight. The Mail told yesterday [31 December] how holidaymaker Jayne Jensen, 54, also recognised the 34-year-old as a man she saw smoking a cigarette on the street corner opposite the McCanns' apartment.

An unnamed British barrister who was on holiday in Praia da Luz at the time is understood to have corroborated what Mrs Jensen said, but not made a formal statement. Two other tourists also called the hotline operated by the McCanns' private detective agency, Metodo 3, to report similar sightings. Mr Murat, who has a young daughter from a failed marriage, vehemently denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance. His mother Jennifer, 71, has accused Metodo 3 of bribing witnesses to change their evidence. But a source close to the McCanns said: ‘He is her son and most mothers would protect their children. Either she knows something or she is mistaken’.”

UNQUOTE

So by 1 January, Murat was back in the frame, at least according to Dr Kate McCann and the Daily Mail, with Dr Kate McCann strongly hinting at ‘questions which need to be answered’ and ‘doubts’.

Extraordinarily, just one week later, the Daily Mail ran a story which said exactly the reverse. One could be forgiven for thinking that those responsible for the McCanns’ public relations were not happy with the 1 January article and wished to change it.

So here’s what Vanessa Allen wrote in the Mail just one week later:

QUOTE

Madeleine witnesses ‘may have mistaken this friend of the McCanns for Murat’ on night she disappeared Daily Mail

“Doubt was cast on the evidence of several key witnesses in the Madeleine McCann disappearance last night. Those who said they saw suspect Robert Murat outside the family's holiday apartment on the night she vanished may have named the wrong man, it was revealed.

“Detectives believe the witnesses who said they saw the British expat could have confused him with a friend of Kate and Gerry McCann, David Payne, who was out searching for the missing three-year-old…

“A series of witnesses have given statements claiming to have seen him around the Ocean Club apartment complex in the hours after Mrs McCann, 39, raised the alarm. They include three friends of the McCanns, Russell O'Brien, Fiona Payne and Rachael Oldfield, who later confronted Mr Murat at a police station after he was made a suspect and said he offered to help them search that night.

"Mark Warner nanny Charlotte Pennington said she saw him hanging around outside the Ocean Club's reception at about 10pm. British holidaymaker Jayne Jensen, an unnamed British barrister and two unidentified British tourists all claim to have seen him around the complex that night.

“But none of them knew the 34-year-old property consultant before that night. Police are examining the theory that they could have confused him with Dr David Payne. The medical researcher, who is 41, was searching around the complex that night and - in a street lit by orange streetlights - could easily have been mistaken for Mr Murat. Mr Murat's lawyer Francisco Pagarete told the Daily Mail: ‘Robert has always said the witnesses were mistaken. He was not there that night’.

“A source close to the inquiry said: ‘The similarity between the two has rendered many witness accounts virtually worthless’. But he added: ‘What is baffling is that Mr Payne's wife and two of his friends are among those who claim to have seen Mr Murat outside the McCanns' apartment that night. You'd think a wife would recognise her own husband’.”

UNQUOTE

The story had changed dramatically, within a week, from ‘Eight people saw Robert Murat that night’ to ‘They all probably mistook him for Dr David Payne’. At least the Daily Mail told its readers at the end of the article how utterly absurd it was to suggest that she might have mistaken Robert Murat for her own husband.

SNIPPED

by sallypelt Sun Feb 23, 2014 7:26 pm

Robert Murat rented a car, sometime in May 2007, because he had loaned his car to the McCann's so they could "search" for Madeleine. Yet Kate and other members of the Tapas group put Murat in the frame. Something smells of sea bass here!

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Police investigating the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal have been told how their prime suspect, the Briton Robert Murat, was impatient to rent a car two days before he was first questioned by police, because he claimed his own was needed by those involved in the search for the four-year-old.

Staff at the Autorent 3 dealership here say they asked Mr Murat to wait until after their lunchbreak finished at 3pm last Saturday - Madeleine's fourth birthday. But he said he needed the vehicle immediately.

Maria Rocco, the member of staff who received Mr Murat's call at the dealership, opposite the church where Madeleine's parents have been praying regularly, called police to report Mr Murat's request after hearing of his arrest. "He said: 'I need a car for myself because the English people who are looking for the little girl need to borrow my car," Mrs Rocco recalled. "You could tell from his voice that he needed it in a hurry. I was puzzled. Why would he need to lend his car to somebody else [in the search]?"

The revelation comes after police questioned Mr Murat's mother, Jennifer, yesterday about her son's alleged involvement in Madeleine's abduction. Yesterday it was reported that police arrived at Mrs Murat's £600,000 villa in Praia da Luz to quiz her about her role as her son's alibi on the night of the abduction.

Results of these interviews will join Mrs Rocco's evidence, which was supported by the form Mr Murat signed when he collected a Hyundai Jetz at 5.16pm that day. It will certainly have interested Portuguese police since the ground search for Madeleine was being scaled down last Saturday and Mr Murat's mother's car, a green VW van, seen in the area that weekend, was available. Mr Murat has indicated that he was aware last weekend that police were tailing him and that he complained to them about this shortly before the raid on his house.

Police are also focussing their inquiries on telephone calls between Mr Murat and a Russian computer scientist, Sergey Malinka. One of these was reportedly made by Mr Malinka a few minutes after 10pm on 3 May - the time when Madeleine's parents discovered she was missing from her room at a Mark Warner resort in the Algarve town.

The Russian left his flat in Praia da Luz on Wednesday night with police who had removed a laptop and two computer hard drives. Mr Malinka declined to discuss his phone calls with Mr Murat yesterday, but insisted that videos seized from his house had no paedophile content. He confirmed his name and number were in Mr Murat's phone.

Yesterday, Mr Malinka protested his innocence. He said: "I am not a suspect in this case. I am merely a witness questioned like eight or nine others. Everything that has been said about me is lies... There have been claims in the press that I am some kind of sexual maniac or paedophile. It is nonsense. My career is destroyed and my life is ruined."

Mr Malinka remains one of the investigation's 100 witnesses, rather than a suspect like Mr Murat, but the policeman leading the inquiry, Oligario Sousa, did not rule out that situation changing. "[He is] not a suspect but it could be in the course of the investigation that something could change," he said. "It's a very dynamic investigation."

Mr Malinka, who moved to Portugal from Moscow seven years ago, says he spent several weeks helping Mr Murat and his German girlfriend, Michaela Walczuch, set up a property website a year ago. He said Mr Murat was a client, not a friend, despite reports that they had been photographed together several times after Madeleine's disappearance. "I had a working relationship with him [Robert]. How friendly can you be with a client?" he said.