How many times was a parent absent from the evening meal at the Tapas Bar /

Sorry if this has been asked before, I can't find any info.

Tapas Nine Timeline: 21.00 to 22.00 pm

2 May 2009 | Posted by Kazlux


What happened on May 3rd, 2007 between 21.00 and 22.00 pm, according to witness statements given to the Polícia Judiciária on May 4th and 11th, 2007.

20.55 – 21.00
David Payne 4/5/07 Concerning yesterday evening, he states that he, his wife and his mother-in-law arrived at the restaurant at around 8.55pm. According to what he remembers, when they arrived, all the members of the group were present, apart from the children, who were in bed.
Rachael Oldfield 11/5/07 it would be around 20H55, the PAYNE family - David, Fiona and DIANE - arrived. About a minute before the PAYNEs arrived, her husband MATTHEW got up from the table and said he was going to go, taking the opportunity "to listen" to the children. She states that, according to those what they [the Paynes] told her, MATTHEW passed them on his way out.
Diane Webster 11/5/07 they only managed to get to Restaurant around 21.00.
- Asked, she adds that she went to the restaurant in the company of her daughter and son-in-law.
- Asked directly if someone had gone to her apartment to call them (herself and the PAYNE couple) for dinner the witness said no.
- Asked if there was the possibility of having crossed paths with someone during the journey between her apartment and restaurant, the witness said no.
- That night she judges to have arrived at the restaurant close to 21:00, in the company of the PAYNE couple.
- That, at that time, the whole group were at the restaurant. The witness did not recall, but thinks that perhaps Gerald and MATT had not been in the restaurant along with the other members of the group.
- In this regard, asked specifically whether, on the journey to the restaurant, if they had passed either of the two individuals described in the preceding paragraph, she answered categorically not.

21.00 – 21.05
Kate McCann 4/5/07 Thus, at around 9pm, her husband went to the apartment to make sure the twins, as well as Madeleine, were OK, then he went back to the restaurant. Her husband said that the children were doing well and that he had bumped into the person with whom he had played tennis, a person who has two children. At the same time, one of the group of friends, Russell, went to see his children, without checking on the interviewee's children.
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 That the last to arrive at the restaurant was the couple David and Fiona. That the latter arrived at the restaurant at around 9pm.
Rachael Oldfield 4/5/07 Her husband Matthew, went to look for David Payne and Fiona Payne. At around 9pm, the couple arrived two or three minutes after Matthew.
Jane Tanner 4/5/07 Around 9pm, her husband (Russell O’Brien) arrived at the restaurant. He had succeeded in getting **** to sleep. Because of the late arrival of David Payne, Fiona Payne and Diane Webster, the meal booked for 8.30pm, did not start until 9pm, when the Payne family arrived.
Russell O’Brien 4/5/07 At around 9pm, they had all ordered their meals. (..)He recalls that Matthew Oldfield left the restaurant at shortly after 9pm to check the children.

21.05 – 21.10
Gerry McCann 4/5/07 Thus, at 9.05pm, the interviewee entered the room (apartment?) using his key, the door being locked, and went to the children's room and noted that the twins and Madeleine were OK. He then took several minutes going to the toilet. He left the apartment and bumped into someone with whom he had played tennis and had a brief conversation. He then returned to the Tapas.
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 That around 9.05pm, he went to the area of the apartments. Notably to the area near the windows of all the children's bedrooms. That he did not hear any noise. That he considered that all the children were sleeping. That all the children's bedroom windows were closed, notably the windows that gave access to the fourth apartment, that occupied by Madeleine. That after this check, he returned to the restaurant, saying that all the children were asleep.
Gerry McCann 11/5/07 At 21H05 MATTHEW returned, the time at which the deponent left the table to go to check how his children were.

21.10 – 21.15
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 However, Gerry, Madeleine's father, went to the area of the apartments to check for himself if the children were asleep. That Gerry allegedly went into his apartment and that he checked to make sure that Madeleine and the twins were sleeping in their bedroom, where it was quite dark. The bedroom door was half-open. That five minutes later, Gerry came back to the group in the restaurant.
Gerry McCann 4/5/07 It is noted that when one of the members of the group, JANE, went to her apartment to see her children, at around 9.10/9.15, at a distance of about 50 metres, in the road leading to the club, she saw a person carrying a child in pyjamas.
Jane Tanner 4/5/07 The interviewee recall that, around 9.10pm, Gerald McCann left the restaurant to go to the apartment to see the children.
Gerry McCann 11/5/07 Following on, he returned to the TAPAS between 21h10 and 21h15 the dinner having gone as normal.

21.15 – 21.20
Jane Tanner 4/5/07 Five minutes later the interviewee left, in her turn, to go to her own apartment to check on her children. She saw Gerald McCann talking to a British citizen named Jez. She spotted a man who was going along at a fair speed with a child in his arms with the child in pyjamas without a blanket, which attracted her attention. The interviewee only saw the man from the side with the child in his arms. She noticed this person exactly at the moment when she walked past Gerald and Jez[Jeremy Wilkins].
Rachael Oldfield 4/5/07 After placing their orders, at around 9.15pm, Gerry McCann went to check, only his apartment. He was held up for nearly 10 minutes because, he said, he had been chatting with Jes about tennis. Today there was a tournament which they both had to compete in. During Gerry's absence, the waiters started to bring the food. Jane was also absent to check her apartment. Gerry returned shortly after Jane.
Kate McCann 4/5/07 Later, a member of the group, Russell's partner Jane, saw, when she went to her apartment at around 9.15pm, about 50 metres away, on the perimeter road of the club, a long-haired person with a child in his arms, walking very quickly.

21.20 – 21.25
Rachael Oldfield 11/5/07 At 21H20 they began to dine.

21.25 - 21.30
Russell O’Brien 4/5/07 Then Gerry came back at around 9.25/9.30 and they started to eat the main course.
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 At around 9.25pm, the interviewee went into his apartment and Madeleine's apartment to check on the children. He states that the door of the fourth apartment (room?), that was occupied by Madeleine and the twins, was half-open and that there was enough light in the bedroom for him to see the twins in their cots. That he couldn't see the bed occupied by Madeleine, but as it was all quiet, he deduced that she was sleeping. That the light in question was from an artificial source but not inside the bedroom, rather from outside through the bedroom window. That it seemed to him that the shutters of the bedroom window were open without knowing if the window was also open.
Matthew Oldfield 11/5/07 The question asked, he relates that he thinks he returned to Tapas between 21h25 and 21h30, telling the others in the group that he found everything within normality in the residential block.

21.30 – 21.35
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 As normal, dinner began at 9.30pm.
Kate McCann 4/5/07 Around 9.30pm was the time the interviewee should have gone to see her children, but her friend Matt (a member of the group) had just done a check in his apartment then gone to the interviewee's. He had gone into the apartment through a glass door at the side and once inside had not gone into the children's bedroom. He only looked through the door, and did not hear any noise. He went back to the restaurant and said that everything was fine.
Gerry McCann 4/5/07 At 9.30pm, a friend, MATT, (a member of the group) went to his apartment where his own children were, and he went through the interviewee's apartment, going in through a patio door at the side of the building, which was always open. He went into the apartment. He saw the twins and he checked if Madeleine was OK. Everything was normal, the shutters closed and the bedroom door half-open as usual.Then MATT went back to the restaurant.
Rachael Oldfield 4/5/07 Between the starters and the main course, at around 9.30pm, her husband Matthew Oldfield and Russell O'Brien both went to check on the children. Kate was also planning to go and see the children, but they told her it was no trouble, that they would go and check. Kate, therefore, stayed at the restaurant. Four or five minutes later the interviewee's husband came back after having checked his apartment. He also checked the one where Madeleine was.
Gerry McCann 11/5/07 At 21h30 he drew KATE's attention to the fact that it was time for her to go to see the children, MATTHEW having immediately volunteered to substitute given that she was talking. Three to four minutes later MATHEW returned saying only "it is all calm", he having entered by the rear door, given that he did not have the key and it was usual for them to enter in that way.

21.35 – 21.40
Russell O’Brien 4/5/07 At around 9.35/9.40, taking advantage of the lull between two courses, the informant left the restaurant with Matthew to check the children.

21.40 – 21.45
Rachael Oldfield 11/5/07 By 21H40/21H45, when they were at dinner, Jane said that he was going to replace RUSSELL so that he could eat, since she had already eaten. About five minutes later RUSSELL returned to the table saying that his daughter E**e was sick and had vomited, [he] starting to dine afterwards.

21.45 – 21.50

21.50 – 21.55
Matthew Oldfield 11/5/07 he clarifies that that news had been communicated to all the friends who were in the Tapas by Kate McCann subsequent to her having personally been to her flat to check that her children were well. The question asked, he relates that she had gone there alone to do that at 21:50.

21.55 – 22.00
Russell O’Brien 4/5/07 At around 9.55, he went back to the restaurant where his food had been waiting for 5 or 10 minutes. All the other adults had finished.

22.00 – 22.05
Kate McCann 4/5/07 At around 10pm, the interviewee went to check on the children. She went into the apartment by the side door, which was closed. She noticed that the door to her children's bedroom was completely open, the window was also open, the shutters raised and the curtains open, while she was certain of having closed them all as she always did.
Gerry McCann 4/5/07 At 10pm, Kate went to check on the children. She went into the apartment, using her key and saw that the bedroom door was completely open, the window was also open, the shutters raised and the curtains open. The doors were locked except the one at the back as already noted above.
David Payne 4/5/07 Towards 10pm, Kate went to her apartment, and less than 5 minutes later, she came back to the restaurant, breaking down, reporting that Madeleine had disappeared.
Matthew Oldfield 4/5/07 At around 10pm, Kate, Madeleine's mother, went to her apartment to check on her children. She came back totally shocked, shouting, saying that Madeleine was no longer in her bedroom. At that time all the adults were in the restaurant.
Rachael Oldfield 4/5/07 At around 10pm, Kate McCann went on her own to check her children. She came back to the restaurant in tears and told us that Madeleine had disappeared.
Russell O’Brien 4/5/07 At a round 10pm, Kate Healy went out to check her children in her apartment. When she came back, she came towards our table, shouting that Madeleine had disappeared.
Diane Webster 11/5/07 Therefore, she can only say with precision that, at 22.00 Kate McCann returned to the restaurant, seemingly in panic, communicating to others the fact that of Madeleine's disappearance.
Gerry McCann 11/5/07 Half and hour later, without anything to signal [with no way to tell the time], it being 22h03, he turned to alert KATE that it was time for her to go to see the children. She immediately made her way to the apartment by the usual path, she having entered by the rear door. About 10 minutes later, he started to worry about her lateness and, at the moment he prepared to stand and to go to see the reason for her lateness, KATE appeared running, completely distraught and crying, saying that MADELEINE had disappeared and that she was sure because she had looked throughout the house.


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Am moving to the debate section.

Thanks Canyfloss. I didn't express myself clearly. I meant each evening [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Yes, I realised after I had posted that worriedmum, but thought it was good info anyway to leave up. I can't actually find anything of a timeline on who was missing each night in one list. I looked at HiDeHo's forum, but couldn't find anything. Perhaps she can help us. I've googled and can't find a succinct list. Who's going to do one, it means reading through all those statements

Hi worriedmum, iirc someone was every evening - but I'm not at a computer to check quickly, sorry

iirc the first night everyone went to the millenium and the thursday night everyone went to the tapas. so it is the nights in between when there were people missing.

sami wrote:iirc the first night everyone went to the millenium and the thursday night everyone went to the tapas. so it is the nights in between when there were people missing.

Good Grief !!! It is like musical chairs [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

Allegedly, Matthew Oldfield was sick and didn't go to dinner on the Sunday night (even though O'Brien says that he checked the Oldfield child that night), Russell O'Brien was sick and didn't go to dinner on the Tuesday and Rachael Oldfield was sick and didn't go to dinner on the Wednesday.

Saturday they all went to the Millenium, Thursday there was much too-ing and fro-ing by all of them, so it appears that Monday was the only night that nobody confesses to being away from the dinner table.

Added from O'Briens rogatory: ‘On Sunday I recall I checked Kate and Gerry’s apartment as well as Rachael and Matt’s’, that’s true. Erm, I’m not sure about taking their keys, I think I, I think I definitely took Matt and Rachael’s keys, but I entered Gerry’s flat through the patio door”.

Why would he have the keys and let himself into Matt's apartment when Matt was already there, sick?