Gerry's fake passport photo

by juliet 15.10.14 10:57

I do hope someone can put up that passport photo of Gerry McCann. It is simply not him! Those full-on nostrils, when he has the sort of nose where the nostrils are always hidden, and that big toothy smile. It has often been said that passport rules don't allow a smile - the point to me is that it is not the McCann smile or the McCann mouth anyway.

by Guest 15.10.14 11:01

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Some posts here about the passport photos.

by juliet 15.10.14 11:07

The theme seems to be that both McCann photos went against all passport office rules. But...the main thing to me is that the lower face is absolutely not Gerry McCann's face.

by missbeetle 15.10.14 11:08

juliet wrote:I do hope someone can put up that passport photo of Gerry McCann. It is simply not him! Those full-on nostrils, when he has the sort of nose where the nostrils are always hidden, and that big toothy smile. It has often been said that passport rules don't allow a smile - the point to me is that it is not the McCann smile or the McCann mouth anyway.

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(snipped from mccannpjfiles, with thanks)

How right you are, Juliet! Snouty nostrils and Hollywood teefs.

Left eye looks unhealthy, too.

However, he is wearing a polo shirt with neck beard on show...

An 'enhanced' Gerry perhaps?

by juliet 15.10.14 11:12

Certainly much altered from the real Gerry. But why? And how did he get away with it? Surely psssport pix are checked for tampering.

by Guest 15.10.14 11:42

If you look at a passport under a UV light, take a flash photo of one, or photocopy the photo page of a passport, the hollograms and watermarks hidden within them for security and to prevent the production of fake documents are brought to the fore. (The holograms tend to be crests, emblems and a lot are symbols representing the UK, flowers like the rose, thistle, daffodil and clover. Lions, dragons etc.)

The highlighting of these hidden features has the effect of completely distorting the original photograph, in some cases.

If you look at Gerry's passport, you can see a pattern of white blotches. This is a hologram hidden behind the photo which shows up under bright light. The bottom blotch coincides with his mouth, which gives the impression of extra-white teeth, and also distorts the shape of his face, appearing to be a hollow. The hologram is some sort of flower, the stalk following his nose which gives the impression of extra-dark nostrils.

Another white hologram, which looks to be the top part of a thistle with spiky leaves circling upward, give him a completely different jawline.

Imagine the same photo without the bright highlights, and you can see it is him.

ETA This is a typical, genine passport imo.

by Muzz Lightyear 15.10.14 11:46

Looks like an e-fit picture that I have seen somewhere before.

by pennylane 15.10.14 11:48

Muzz Lightyear wrote:Looks like an e-fit picture that I have seen somewhere before.

Doesn't it though! big grin

by aiyoyo 15.10.14 12:00

Ask yourself would you hand over a fake passport (err with fake photo ie) to the Police investigating your missing child ? If you won't, why would Gerry? To serve what purpose?

The last photo is different because there was (or might be) a purpose in that, to the benefit and serving the McCanns' agenda. Would handing in a passport with fake photo serve their agenda? We know the answer to that surely?

With respect, I think Admin should close this unnecessary thread. It's pushing important topics off the front page. More pertinently it is ludicrous to even suggest Gerry would think of tampering a very important piece of official travel document and gave that to the Police. Even more ridiculous to have a thread debating the validity of Gerry's passport photo, making an issue out of something that is clearly a non-issue for obvious reason.

by pennylane 15.10.14 12:11

aiyoyo wrote:Ask yourself would you hand over a fake passport (err with fake photo ie) to the Police investigating your missing child ? If you won't, why would Gerry? To serve what purpose?

The last photo is different because there was (or might be) a purpose in that, to the benefit and serving the McCanns' agenda. Would handing in a passport with fake photo serves their agenda? We know the answer to that surely?

With respect, I think Admin should close this unnecessary thread. It's pushing important topics off the front page. More pertinently it is ludicrous to even suggest Gerry would think of tampering a very important piece of official travel document and gave that to the Police. Even more ridiculous to have a thread debating the validity of Gerry's passport photo, making an issue out of something that is clearly a non-issue for obvious reason.

100% agree with your post, aiyoyo hello

by palm tree 15.10.14 12:24

Agree, it's a important document but still begs the question of the smile (gm) and side on (km), afaik, would not be accepted for a passport.
IMO

by Snifferdog 15.10.14 12:28

I recall the passport photos being discussed previously, and it was mentioned that smiling and 3/4 photos were allowed in the past. This is an old photo of Gerry, perhaps due for renewal - I don't remember if the last was true or no.

by pennylane 15.10.14 12:31

I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.

by Miraflores 15.10.14 12:36

Snifferdog wrote:I recall the passport photos being discussed previously, and it was mentioned that smiling and 3/4 photos were allowed in the past. This is an old photo of Gerry, perhaps due for renewal - I don't remember if the last was true or no.

Absolutely, in my previous passport I am 3/4 on and smiling, as Kate was. That was the recommended way to get a good passport photo - the rules changed something like five years ago.

by pennylane 15.10.14 12:37

palm tree wrote:Agree, it's a important document but still begs the question of the smile (gm) and side on (km), afaik, would not be accepted for a passport.
IMO

You must be quite young palm tree. They used to allow fully smiling photos, and were very easy to please once upon a time.

by Liz Eagles 15.10.14 12:40

pennylane wrote:I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.

So have I....I still look too sick to travel though titter

by juliet 15.10.14 12:41

Amazing holograms DeeCoy that can create big black nostrils and big white teeth. As for "why would McCann present a false document to the police" - McCann does what he likes as everyone knows.

by pennylane 15.10.14 12:43

aquila wrote:
pennylane wrote:I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.
So have I....I still look too sick to travel though

Oh bless!

by Liz Eagles 15.10.14 12:46

pennylane wrote:
aquila wrote:
pennylane wrote:I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.
So have I....I still look too sick to travel though
Oh bless!

It's an old joke....if you look anything like your passport photo you're too sick to travel.

by pennylane 15.10.14 12:52

aquila wrote:
pennylane wrote:
aquila wrote:
pennylane wrote:I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.
So have I....I still look too sick to travel though
Oh bless!
It's an old joke....if you look anything like your passport photo you're too sick to travel.

Yes there's some humdingers around.

I have a funny one from the 70's where I was looking skywards due to being distracted when the photo booth snapped it. Still got accepted though, but I got teased rotten at the airports.

by Guest 15.10.14 13:00

juliet wrote:Amazing holograms DeeCoy that can create big black nostrils and big white teeth. As for "why would McCann present a false document to the police" - McCann does what he likes as everyone knows.

Trust me, these are perfectly normal distortions. I've seen similar dozens of times within my line of work.

by missbeetle 16.10.14 22:39

Cheers for your considered input, Dee Coy.

Some other passport photos from the P J files for comparison of hologram effects :

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(snipped from the mccannpjfiles, with many thanks)

Second picture across may account for Gerry's big nostrils - shamrocked!

Gerry's teeth just don't look right to me, though... His whole mouth looks peculiar.

Maybe he was wearing braces and his mouth got very dry and his top lip got stuck to his gums...?

Gerald's was the only toothy smile I could see of all the passport photographs on file.

All just my thoughts and opinions...

PS. I found this picture which seems to be the design for the hologram/lamination/embossing used :

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(snipped from Flickr/The Laird of Oldham, with thanks)

by Guest 17.10.14 0:43

Thanks, missbeetle. There's numerous different 'issues' of passports, too. They change the security features regularly, so unless you know which images should manifest for which edition, it can be confusing.

For anyone in doubt, take your passport and photocopy the photo page. You might be surprised at how you appear to customs men! laughat

by plebgate 17.10.14 9:59

I didn't want to post on this thread as it will send it back to top of page, but must say I agree with Aiyoyo.

What is the point of it, it clearly looks like Mr. to me and as Aiyoyo said why would he give a false passport to cops? If the cops thought it was fake, wouldn't they have done something about it by now?

by Snifferdog 17.10.14 10:14

aquila wrote:
pennylane wrote:I've got several old passports where I'm smiling.
So have I....I still look too sick to travel though

Ditto.

by aiyoyo 17.10.14 10:55

plebgate wrote:
What is the point of it, it clearly looks like Mr. to me and as Aiyoyo said why would he give a false passport to cops? If the cops thought it was fake, wouldn't they have done something about it by now?

Forgery is a serious crime, especially if it involves an official travel document issued by Her Majesty Authority. One would not do it unless it is absolutely necessary and only if it serves a purpose.

To even entertain that - that it might be a fake/a forgery - you would have to ask or look at the possible advantageous to Gerry for him to have done that? Why, what for, and this and that.

And if you can't even arrive at one possible reasonable plausible point on why he would resort to knowingly commit an offence of forgery, further compounding the serious offence by giving it to the very Investigators investigating his missing daughter. That's unthinkable beyond words.

To even suggest cunning self-serving Gerry (of all people) would be so stupid to do such a stupid thing that won't serve his purpose whatsoever, except to knowingly put himself in trouble with the law is simply ludicrous beyond words.

If people wish to discuss the peculiarities of photos there is already an existing thread on photos in general.

by nglfi 17.10.14 12:15

I think perhaps the difference between the photo and Gerry as we know him now, is that this is back when he was young and happy. He isn't sneering, duping delight or trying to mask any internal fear or disquiet. It is a broad, open mouthed smile in my opinion, genuinely happy. Although there are several pictures very soon after Madeleine disappeared of the pair laughing and joking, Gerry has already adopted that superior sneer. Imo he looks genuinely different in demeanour in the passport photo but not in his basic facial appearance.

by nglfi 17.10.14 12:17

Ps and as Deecoy said, the hologram is distorting his face slightly and making his chin appear more rounded, which in turn slightly alters the appearance of his mouth

by Snifferdog 17.10.14 12:40

nglfi wrote:I think perhaps the difference between the photo and Gerry as we know him now, is that this is back when he was young and happy. He isn't sneering, duping delight or trying to mask any internal fear or disquiet. It is a broad, open mouthed smile in my opinion, genuinely happy. Although there are several pictures very soon after Madeleine disappeared of the pair laughing and joking, Gerry has already adopted that superior sneer. Imo he looks genuinely different in demeanour in the passport photo but not in his basic facial appearance.

An interesting hypothesis nglfi, for me, a persons spirit is visible in their face, especially as they get older, and the personality becomes defined by the muscles most often used, forming the persons habitual expression, becoming more permanent with time.

by nglfi 17.10.14 17:33

Snifferdog wrote:
nglfi wrote:I think perhaps the difference between the photo and Gerry as we know him now, is that this is back when he was young and happy. He isn't sneering, duping delight or trying to mask any internal fear or disquiet. It is a broad, open mouthed smile in my opinion, genuinely happy. Although there are several pictures very soon after Madeleine disappeared of the pair laughing and joking, Gerry has already adopted that superior sneer. Imo he looks genuinely different in demeanour in the passport photo but not in his basic facial appearance.

An interesting hypothesis nglfi, for me, a persons spirit is visible in their face, especially as they get older, and the personality becomes defined by the muscles most often used, forming the persons habitual expression, becoming more permanent with time.

I completely agree, I think you can really tell what the McCanns are up to by their expressions. Of course, pros would say their faces are just careworn from what they have 'been through'