Virtual reconstitution tests witnesses’ version

Virtual reconstitution tests witnesses’ version
10 March 2012 | Posted by Joana Morais Leave a Comment

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Timelines submitted by the Tapas 9, handwritten in torn child's book (alleged to belong to Maddie)
in Madeleine McCann Process, Volume X p.2578 to 2579

The software of the English will be used to supply further clues to the investigation

by Nuno Miguel Maia and Óscar Queirós

The Scotland Yard possesses software designed to reconstitute, in a virtual way, the facts that have been reported by the various witnesses who have intervened in the process of Maddie’s disappearance.

The existence of this tool may be important to find new leads, in order to solve the case. The versions of those involved may be crossed referenced, and after the data is processed by the software, one can understand what adds up – and what does not.

In this software, one can insert photos and the description of the apartment, including Maddie’s bedroom, drawings or photos of the entries, routes to the restaurant – and a description thereof – where the parents and friends were dining, their table and the localization and position of each person.

The software will also receive the statements that everyone has made and will be making (the English will hear the McCann couple’s friends again), as these people may recall facts, as small as they may be, and even add objects that may give their descriptions more veracity.

From there on, the investigators may reach more precise conclusions, which, very often, belies the testimonies that have been described in their statements.

Connection chronogram

It should be recalled that, during the 14 months of the investigation, a diligence for the reconstitution of the facts with the participation of Kate and Gerry McCann and their friends was not performed1 due to the lack of agreement and “availability” concerning the date that was set by the PJ. The Public Ministry eventually forgo the execution of that step. This is considered by many to be the major lapse in the investigation.

The reconstruction without the presence or the cooperation of arguidos or witnesses has been performed by the Judiciary Police for several years. However, in a more “handmade” approach. In Portugal, and due to the lack of more sophisticated means, like the software used by the English, the PJ uses what is described as a “connection chronogram” [timeline], creating frames with photographs, drawings and witness statements and statements from the arguidos.

Recently, an official of the British police declared that the time has not yet come to speak again with the McCanns and friends and that they are “breeding the ground” to achieve that.

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”


in Jornal de Notícias, page 3, March 10, 2012 | Online paid edition | Translation by Astro/JM

Notes
1
The Cancelled Re-enactment in Volume XVI of the process - The emails exchange between the Tapas 7 and the Judiciary Police declining participation in the reconstruction of the day when Madeleine McCann disappeared.

This bit is very interesting...

Recently, an official of the British police declared that the time has not yet come to speak again with the McCanns and friends and that they are “breeding the ground” to achieve that.

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”

Obviously open to interpretation, but it reads to me that there is an absolute determination to 'get it right' this time. In other words, let them write their own death warrants! Seems the time for swarthy gypsies and dead paedophiles is long since gone.
Hopefully, if I've read this right, when once they have spoken to T7 again, they will pretty much have the definitive story. Then it'll be a case of go in hard with K+G... I can't see kid gloves being used this time?
Am I reading too much into all this or is Something. Definitely. Happening?

Seems to me something is really happening.

Question is I am not sure whether its a good idea for the leaks on the review so far.
Hopefully the UK press is not picking it up and reporting on it to avoid the prejudice trial eventuality -there is time for media frenzy in due course.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening.

Question is I am not sure whether its a good idea for the leaks on the review so far.
Hopefully the UK press is not picking it up and reporting on it to avoid the prejudice trial eventuality -there is time for media frenzy in due course.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] I am here [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] and feel that at long long last someone has put the wheels onto the justice wagon.

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

I'm sure we're all still here aiyo but as we've been down this road so many times, I guess we've learned to suppress our excitement. Over the past few days I've become very optimistic that something is finally happening but have been reluctant to say so for fear of feeding into a "It's all over now, game set & match to GA", as appears to be the case on another Madeleine site. There is great cause for optimism, especially if this is true:

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”

but there's still a long way to go. Unless one of the T9 realises that it is indeed game up and sings.

The virtual re-con should be interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing Jez, Gerry, Tanner & Abductor all together on the little street outside the apartment :)

maebee wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

I'm sure we're all still here aiyo but as we've been down this road so many times, I guess we've learned to suppress our excitement. Over the past few days I've become very optimistic that something is finally happening but have been reluctant to say so for fear of feeding into a "It's all over now, game set & match to GA", as appears to be the case on another Madeleine site. There is great cause for optimism, especially if this is true:

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”

but there's still a long way to go. Unless one of the T9 realises that it is indeed game up and sings.

The virtual re-con should be interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing Jez, Gerry, Tanner & Abductor all together on the little street outside the apartment :)

We still do not know what happened to Madeleine - we can only speculate that she died in the apartment, because we know that those 'unreliable' dogs are in fact extremely reliable. But, it's still only speculation. Getting to the truth of what actually happened, that is,what crime was committed and who committed it, is not going to be easy. Solving the case isn't just about proving that the abduction is a fake or sending the McCanns down - for what exactly? I've always thought that Dr. Amaral's insistence that it was an accident goes too easy on the main protagonists, but there again, he has far more information than I do and he is a highly-qualified criminologist. I just have the feeling that something very sordid is about to surface and I don't think most people are going to be thrilled to bits when the truth is revealed about what actually did happen. Speculating about Madeleine being dead is not the same as knowing it for a fact. I imagine that trepidation is probably what most people feel right now.

T4two wrote:

maebee wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

I'm sure we're all still here aiyo but as we've been down this road so many times, I guess we've learned to suppress our excitement. Over the past few days I've become very optimistic that something is finally happening but have been reluctant to say so for fear of feeding into a "It's all over now, game set & match to GA", as appears to be the case on another Madeleine site. There is great cause for optimism, especially if this is true:

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”

but there's still a long way to go. Unless one of the T9 realises that it is indeed game up and sings.

The virtual re-con should be interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing Jez, Gerry, Tanner & Abductor all together on the little street outside the apartment :)

We still do not know what happened to Madeleine - we can only speculate that she died in the apartment, because we know that those 'unreliable' dogs are in fact extremely reliable. But, it's still only speculation. Getting to the truth of what actually happened, that is,what crime was committed and who committed it, is not going to be easy. Solving the case isn't just about proving that the abduction is a fake or sending the McCanns down - for what exactly? I've always thought that Dr. Amaral's insistence that it was an accident goes too easy on the main protagonists, but there again, he has far more information than I do and he is a highly-qualified criminologist. I just have the feeling that something very sordid is about to surface and I don't think most people are going to be thrilled to bits when the truth is revealed about what actually did happen. Speculating about Madeleine being dead is not the same as knowing it for a fact. I imagine that trepidation is probably what most people feel right now.

I agree with that T4two - what on earth is there to be excited about when for almost 5 years now the general opinion of what happened to Madeleine is that she died and if the Gaspar statements are anything to go by then, indeed, something sordid might well surface.

A child's body isn't hidden for the hell of it. Something awful must have happened to her.

And I hope that whoever did what they did to her finally gets what's coming to them.

PeterMac

Kate may have that evidence. She says she "knew" and even put it in italic, thus "I knew" which must be very powerful evidence for any investigating team.

Indeed Peter. When her arguida status was lifted in 2008, KM was free to tell the world exactly how she "knew" that Madeleine was abducted but the world is still waiting. There should be no need for 48 questions from SY. An answer to just the one question "Dr. McCann, how do you know your daughter was abducted?" should clear up the mystery.

maebee wrote:

PeterMac

Kate may have that evidence. She says she "knew" and even put it in italic, thus "I knew" which must be very powerful evidence for any investigating team.

Indeed Peter. When her arguida status was lifted in 2008, KM was free to tell the world exactly how she "knew" that Madeleine was abducted but the world is still waiting. There should be no need for 48 questions from SY. An answer to just the one question "Dr. McCann, how do you know your daughter was abducted?" should clear up the mystery.

But Mrs Kate does not know. Her lawyer said that the McCann couple wanted to discover what had hapenned to their daughter. Why would they need to discover, something that they already *know*.

When the police file became public in the summer of 2008 we learned that the Portuguese Police were far from the bungling Keystone Cops they were made out to be. They were diligent, thorough, and they were hampered because of an interfering British Government. Evidence was withheld from the Portuguese. A semen sample suddenly turned into a saliva sample after the British Forensic Science Service looked at it. The samples were, in turn, destroyed by the FSS so the investigators have no chance of a second opinion

I never heard about the "semen sample" and I have followed this case since 2007. I've posted the link so you can read it in its entirety

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

PS. I wrote a longer message and saved it to "draft" but as I am useless at navigating this site, I can't seem to find it now!

justme3 wrote:When the police file became public in the summer of 2008 we learned that the Portuguese Police were far from the bungling Keystone Cops they were made out to be. They were diligent, thorough, and they were hampered because of an interfering British Government. Evidence was withheld from the Portuguese. A semen sample suddenly turned into a saliva sample after the British Forensic Science Service looked at it. The samples were, in turn, destroyed by the FSS so the investigators have no chance of a second opinion

I never heard about the "semen sample" and I have followed this case since 2007. I've posted the link so you can read it in its entirety

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

PS. I wrote a longer message and saved it to "draft" but as I am useless at navigating this site, I can't seem to find it now!

I've just had a read of the link and to be perfectly honest it sounds so far fetched as to be ridiculous.
It is saying that information has been received that Gerry had indepth knowledge of the 'murder' of Princess Diana by the Royal family and they are more or less helping him and Kate in a coverup
I feel that this is a step too far and we are in danger of becoming labelled 'nutters and conspiracy theorists' (even if there is some truth in this and I don't think there is) and to me it seems best not to even mention such things at this stage of the review.
We do not want to be laughing stocks.

happychick wrote:

T4two wrote:

maebee wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening.

I still cant get my head around the virtual reconstruction. I suppose the good thing is as many version of statements as produced by mccanns and friends can be fed into the PC for the simulation. Every one of the statement can be tried and tested out without objections as it would if humans were doing the reconstruction. This must be one of the new tools and approaches they talked about earlier. I wonder how many more modern technology is in the market as tools for the Police. The mind boggles.

P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

I'm sure we're all still here aiyo but as we've been down this road so many times, I guess we've learned to suppress our excitement. Over the past few days I've become very optimistic that something is finally happening but have been reluctant to say so for fear of feeding into a "It's all over now, game set & match to GA", as appears to be the case on another Madeleine site. There is great cause for optimism, especially if this is true:

Citing police sources, the British press reports that “rigorous translations” of the Portuguese process are underway, with a particular zeal regarding the statements of the friends of the couple, “so there is an absolutely certainty of what was stated (by them) and its significance.”

but there's still a long way to go. Unless one of the T9 realises that it is indeed game up and sings.

The virtual re-con should be interesting. I'm looking forward to seeing Jez, Gerry, Tanner & Abductor all together on the little street outside the apartment :)

We still do not know what happened to Madeleine - we can only speculate that she died in the apartment, because we know that those 'unreliable' dogs are in fact extremely reliable. But, it's still only speculation. Getting to the truth of what actually happened, that is,what crime was committed and who committed it, is not going to be easy. Solving the case isn't just about proving that the abduction is a fake or sending the McCanns down - for what exactly? I've always thought that Dr. Amaral's insistence that it was an accident goes too easy on the main protagonists, but there again, he has far more information than I do and he is a highly-qualified criminologist. I just have the feeling that something very sordid is about to surface and I don't think most people are going to be thrilled to bits when the truth is revealed about what actually did happen. Speculating about Madeleine being dead is not the same as knowing it for a fact. I imagine that trepidation is probably what most people feel right now.

I agree with that T4two - what on earth is there to be excited about when for almost 5 years now the general opinion of what happened to Madeleine is that she died and if the Gaspar statements are anything to go by then, indeed, something sordid might well surface.

A child's body isn't hidden for the hell of it. Something awful must have happened to her.

And I hope that whoever did what they did to her finally gets what's coming to them.

Well, I for one, dont believe that any "sordid" angle people suspect was involved.
The mccanns just got lucky with help level. They might have got help after the fact to do with disposal and cover up but I dont believe in a conspiracy or P angle. Of course I respect people's opinion but I will stick to mine and let's see what pans out.
.

PeterMac wrote:

aiyoyo wrote:Seems to me something is really happening. SNIP P.S. Hmmm...it's rather quiet in here, where are all the excited people?

Like many, I do not feel it is the time to get excited.
Softly softly. One step at a time. and so on.
and let us never forget.
IF there emerges any evidence that Madeleine Beth McCann was indeed abducted in the C-R approved manner, then we will all stand foresquare behind all attempts to find Madeleine and the abductor, and bring him / her / it / the dingo to justice.
Kate may have that evidence. She says she "knew" and even put it in italic, thus "I knew" which must be very powerful evidence for any investigating team.
There may be evidence of an abduction. Evidence that does not appear in any of the statements so far released; evidence so far not revealed in the interviews given across the world; evidence concealed somewhere, perhaps in ex-DI Edgar's files or in the infamous M3 files, which is going to assist, once someone actually bothers to release it.
The world waits, some 4 years after the event, for someone to come forward with any evidence at all that there was an abduction.

HA HA...PM well said. It appears the wise Yard and portuguese partner are not stupid to waste time on looking at DI Edgar's files or in the lawless village lair? But I am fairly certain they would have at least been to the crime scene to see first hand for themselves how an abductor could have or not have got in and out virtually unseen. This should be interesting when they throw all the versions of statements into virtual reality simulations on PC and the Police will be in hysterics that the checkers (Gerry, Matt, JT and Wilkins) and abductor were literally within hair length of knocking each other off and still not noticed each other, well apart from Janey of course.

I get people's point about it being premature to get excited.
I am excited that the files are not just sitting there collecting dust and the mccanns cannot come up with pseudo sightings with the review going on and I am excited to see how they are going to treat their litigations which hearings are imminent now that the mccanns are "delighted" the review is developing towards the re-opening they so craved for (so they claimed).

From news so far I feel the Yard and Oporto team are working to progress in the same direction so...just maybe the "abductor" is going nowhere but the case is going somewhere - to destination justice hopefully.

maebee wrote:

PeterMac

Kate may have that evidence. She says she "knew" and even put it in italic, thus "I knew" which must be very powerful evidence for any investigating team.

Indeed Peter. When her arguida status was lifted in 2008, KM was free to tell the world exactly how she "knew" that Madeleine was abducted but the world is still waiting. There should be no need for 48 questions from SY. An answer to just the one question "Dr. McCann, how do you know your daughter was abducted?" should clear up the mystery.

And didn't they also say they were relieved, or was it delighted, and the case was shelved...phewed...that was close! And that her "I knew " is still safe with her - that her knowledge is safe..

Yeah, for once I believe her - I believe she knew exactly what she saw !

My take on all this is thus:

The review team have waded through all the files and come to the only conclusion we knew they would. They have checked out the Metodo leads and the fact they have gone quiet should tell you all you need to know, and decided that the real avenue for moving things forwards is in the reconstruction, the mobile phone records and the T9 statements.

It seems at this point they have contacted the PJ to assist on the ground and i'm hopeful that the outcome will come back to requesting the T9 to come back to Portugal for a reconstruction.

It will be interesting to see their answer because they will have to come up with a new excuse than the one they used last time they were asked to perform a reconstruction.

In terms of the foraml re-opening of the case i can see the Portugese keeping their powder dry until either the T9 are re-interviewed or the reconstruction is performed.

I sense the PJ want to re-open the case in order to right the way they were wronged last time, but are mindful of doing it at the right time and without setting off Clarence's attack dogs in the UK media.

so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done. Then re-open the case and away we go.

I see all these developments as a first step towards the case ultimately being re-opened in Portugal. Given the co-operation between the Met and the PJ it is interesting that the issue of re-opening the case has re-surfaced. Makes you wonder what the Met have told the PJ at this stage.

Anything that Clarence now comes up with should be taken with the appropriate amount of salt, because if the Team have any sense of self preservation then now is most definitley squeaky bum time.

Me wrote:so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done.

That's the problem I foresee, the what will happen "after it has been done".

On Portuguese soil they risk arrest. On UK soil, they have the best extradition lawyer in the world.

I cannot see any of them going back for that somehow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Me wrote:My take on all this is thus:

The review team have waded through all the files and come to the only conclusion we knew they would. They have checked out the Metodo leads and the fact they have gone quiet should tell you all you need to know, and decided that the real avenue for moving things forwards is in the reconstruction, the mobile phone records and the T9 statements.

It seems at this point they have contacted the PJ to assist on the ground and i'm hopeful that the outcome will come back to requesting the T9 to come back to Portugal for a reconstruction.

It will be interesting to see their answer because they will have to come up with a new excuse than the one they used last time they were asked to perform a reconstruction.

In terms of the foraml re-opening of the case i can see the Portugese keeping their powder dry until either the T9 are re-interviewed or the reconstruction is performed.

I sense the PJ want to re-open the case in order to right the way they were wronged last time, but are mindful of doing it at the right time and without setting off Clarence's attack dogs in the UK media.

so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done. Then re-open the case and away we go.

I see all these developments as a first step towards the case ultimately being re-opened in Portugal. Given the co-operation between the Met and the PJ it is interesting that the issue of re-opening the case has re-surfaced. Makes you wonder what the Met have told the PJ at this stage.

Anything that Clarence now comes up with should be taken with the appropriate amount of salt, because if the Team have any sense of self preservation then now is most definitley squeaky bum time.

I am with what you said.
But there is a general belief that short of an official reopening by the AG, the Yard has no remit to do the reconstruction hence the idea of the virtual reconstruction. Even the PJ can have no remit to request for reconstruction because the case is not officially reopened.

Having said that, I think the general belief may not hold true as we are already witnessing exceptional measures in this case where the Oporto team of PJ was allowed to do a review despite the re-opening protocol was not observed.
So I am hoping reviewers are empowered to carry out re interviewing and reconstruction.

Stella wrote:

Me wrote:so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done.

That's the problem I foresee, the what will happen "after it has been done".

On Portuguese soil they risk arrest. On UK soil, they have the best extradition lawyer in the world.

I cannot see any of them going back for that somehow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

And that, my dear Stella, would be the end for Kate and Gerry McCann!
Can you imagine the hue and cry if, having seemingly got the 'review/reopening' they 'asked' for and 'wanted all along' they then refuse AGAIN to co-operate? Refuse to go back to PT, why? They've been plenty since... As we all know, they have all been absolutely truthful about the events of the holiday, what could they possibly fear from a reconstruction, as they've 'performed their own'?
Unless, of course, we get the 'We're being framed!' speech again, but I'd love to see how that washes this time when not only are they accusing the nasty PJ, but also the nasty Met?
IMO a refusal to co-operate this time could be, and SHOULD be, treated in the same way as refusal to give a blood or breath sample when suspected of drunk driving etc. With all the inferences that involves.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at 5 The Crescent right now... I wonder has Gerry been on his knees yet, sobbing 'We're finished'???

rainbow-fairy wrote:

Stella wrote:

Me wrote:so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done.

That's the problem I foresee, the what will happen "after it has been done".

On Portuguese soil they risk arrest. On UK soil, they have the best extradition lawyer in the world.

I cannot see any of them going back for that somehow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

And that, my dear Stella, would be the end for Kate and Gerry McCann!
Can you imagine the hue and cry if, having seemingly got the 'review/reopening' they 'asked' for and 'wanted all along' they then refuse AGAIN to co-operate? Refuse to go back to PT, why? They've been plenty since... As we all know, they have all been absolutely truthful about the events of the holiday, what could they possibly fear from a reconstruction, as they've 'performed their own'?
Unless, of course, we get the 'We're being framed!' speech again, but I'd love to see how that washes this time when not only are they accusing the nasty PJ, but also the nasty Met?
IMO a refusal to co-operate this time could be, and SHOULD be, treated in the same way as refusal to give a blood or breath sample when suspected of drunk driving etc. With all the inferences that involves.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at 5 The Crescent right now... I wonder has Gerry been on his knees yet, sobbing 'We're finished'???

I think we will all see quite a few EAW's issued, before we see a full reconstruction. But I could be wrong.

Stella wrote:

rainbow-fairy wrote:

Stella wrote:

Me wrote:so let the Met formally ask for a reconstruction, get them back to Portugal and then see what happens after it has been done.

That's the problem I foresee, the what will happen "after it has been done".

On Portuguese soil they risk arrest. On UK soil, they have the best extradition lawyer in the world.

I cannot see any of them going back for that somehow. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

And that, my dear Stella, would be the end for Kate and Gerry McCann!
Can you imagine the hue and cry if, having seemingly got the 'review/reopening' they 'asked' for and 'wanted all along' they then refuse AGAIN to co-operate? Refuse to go back to PT, why? They've been plenty since... As we all know, they have all been absolutely truthful about the events of the holiday, what could they possibly fear from a reconstruction, as they've 'performed their own'?
Unless, of course, we get the 'We're being framed!' speech again, but I'd love to see how that washes this time when not only are they accusing the nasty PJ, but also the nasty Met?
IMO a refusal to co-operate this time could be, and SHOULD be, treated in the same way as refusal to give a blood or breath sample when suspected of drunk driving etc. With all the inferences that involves.
I would love to be a fly on the wall at 5 The Crescent right now... I wonder has Gerry been on his knees yet, sobbing 'We're finished'???

I think we will all see quite a few EAW's issued, before we see a full reconstruction. But I could be wrong.

And you could be right!
I've never been afraid to admit when I'm wrong, or don't know something and I fully hold that 'NO question is a SILLY question IF you TRULY don't know the answer' - and in that vein I have to ask Stella...
What is an EAW? Been trying to work it out... 'European Arrest Warrant' 'Extradition Application Warrant'? I truly don't know!
Please could you enlighten me on this Stella? Many many thanks. I am the eternal scholar, I like to learn!

From Joana's site:

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11 March 2012 | Posted by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]



The discovery of new indicia could lead to the formal reopening of the process. If this occurs, proceedings can be made in order to fill up the voids in the case. One of them has to do with the analysis of the hair samples, found in the trunk of a car, rented by the McCann couple 20 days after the disappearance of their daughter.

At that time, the hairs fibres were sent to a Laboratory in Birmingham, that admitted that they [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. However, since they had no roots, it was not possible to identify [and extract nuclear] the DNA. They were returned.

Today that problem seems to have been overcomed. There are now laboratories in Germany and in Holland with the technical capacity to identify the DNA using rootless hairs. They may even provide information on possible drug substances that have been ingested.

It should be recalled, that at the time, information was divulged that the children were given pharmaceuticals drugs in order to help them fall asleep.

To me, the direction of the Review Team couldn't be any clearer.

Much as people criticized the UK press for being sycophantic, lack balls, and pander to the mccanns, I do hope they do ot report on the leaks picked up by the Portugal Press at the moment as that would only give Mccanns ammo to spin which is pointless.

Time is not right yet for a full blown coverage. That will come in good time when the mccanns appear in Court for their own trial if it comes to that.

aiyoyo wrote:To me, the direction of the Review Team couldn't be any clearer.

Much as people criticized the UK press for being sycophantic, lack balls, and pander to the mccanns, I do hope they do ot report on the leaks picked up by the Portugal Press at the moment as that would only give Mccanns ammo to spin which is pointless.

Time is not right yet for a full blown coverage. That will come in good time when the mccanns appear in Court for their own trial if it comes to that.

and you can bet your bottom dollar that if any 'leaks' are reported on, the fault will be placed on the 'incompetent sardine-munchers' or some 'errant SY person' but spin comes from other places and sometimes that can be an invented 'leak'. So I hope the UK press tread carefully and we don't have a sensational frenzy. Madeleine doesn't deserve that. What Madeleine deserves is responsible press coverage and the UK press are very capable of that.

The very fact that there is a team set up in Oporto means the case has been re-opened, albeit unofficially. Why would you put an investigative team together on a case that is archived and that wouldn't be re-opened?

Answer: You don't.

That then begs the question why has it been set up and at whose request? The only conclusion can be that SY, the only people actively looking at the case, have requested this assistance from the Portuguese.

And do you think the PJ would have agreed had it been to chase paedo rings in underground lairs or Victoria Beckham lookalikes in boats in Barcelona?

This team has been set up because the Met want assistance in the work already done by the PJ in the original investigation. The fact it has been set up in my mind shows a clear direction the Review team want the investigation to go and it isn't chasing eggmen with no faces.

Privately i suggest the PJ are chomping at the bit to get another crack at the McCann's but this time on their terms, hence the "no official reopening" line.

They aren't going to make the same mistakes again and they're going to let SY play the bad cop role by getting the Met to request the T9 return to Portugal for the reconstruction.

Once that has been completed and the contradictions start stacking up i can see that being the catalyst for a formal re-opening of the case. Becuase the "new indicies" the Portuguese have stated they require to re-open will undoubtedly come out of that reconstruction.

So what can the Team do? Refuse to go? How can they do that given they were the ones who (ha!) requested the review be opened and have "welcomed", officially at least, every development along the way?

How can they spin that one out? Fitted up once more by the PJ? Not if it's a joint operation with the very people they welcomed and wanted to review the case in the first place!

There is no doubt in my mind that the Team are now backed into a corner, one of their own making, and it will be interesting to see how they handle things from here on in.

I'm equally certain that this development is the start of a process towards a formal re-opening of the case and where it will lead from there will depend, i suspect, on who cracks first.