Detectives off to Portugal to see the Taxi driver ?

by **PeterMac** 25.08.13 10:21

Surely they are not going to interview the Taxi Driver as a person of interest.
Even Grange and the PJ must have dismissed that out of hand along time ago, which is probably why they didn't bother talking to him.
But the Press seem to think that it proves Madeleine was alive . . . (and probably some of the pro-child-neglect groupies do so too)

"This suspicion was heightened when a taxi driver came forward a fortnight ago claiming he had taken four adults with a young girl, looking like Madeleine, from a pick up in the Algarve towards Spain.
Antonio Castela, 72, went to Portugal's CID, after three men, a woman and a young girl got into his cab on May 4 2007 in Monte Gordo and driving the group to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where they drove away in a blue jeep.
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OK so far ?
But the taxi driver insists it was on 3rd, which means that all the statements of the Tapas group are automatically deemed to be false ! All of them.

Monte Gordo is 141 km = 88 MILES from Praia da Luz, One hour and 31 minutes by car (google maps)[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />

A = Praia da Luz
B = Monte Gordo
C = Vila Real
QED.
No doubt as a taxi diver he did pick up three adults and a little girl. That is what he gets paid to do.
But come off it British Press. Think about what you are writing.

To quote someone - Ludicrous.

by **Tony Bennett** 25.08.13 10:46

PeterMac wrote:But come off it British Press. Think about what you are writing.

But they do.

The editor has thought about this.

First of all he has thought that he is at risk of a libel suit if he runs certain stories anbout this case.

Second, he has thought that however ludicrous the story, if he sticks a pic of Madeleine on the front page, he will sell more newspapers...and make more money.

This is what the great British press has come to these days.

Small wonder people are turning to the internet and abandoning newspapers in droves

by Monty Heck 25.08.13 10:48

PeterMac wrote:Surely they are not going to interview the Taxi Driver as a person of interest.
Even Grange and the PJ must have dismissed that out of hand along time ago, which is probably why they didn't bother talking to him.
But the Press seem to think that it proves Madeleine was alive . . . (and probably some of the pro-child-neglect groupies do so too)

"This suspicion was heightened when a taxi driver came forward a fortnight ago claiming he had taken four adults with a young girl, looking like Madeleine, from a pick up in the Algarve towards Spain.
Antonio Castela, 72, went to Portugal's CID, after three men, a woman and a young girl got into his cab on May 4 2007 in Monte Gordo and driving the group to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where they drove away in a blue jeep.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
OK so far ?
But the taxi driver insists it was on 4th, which means that all the statements of the Tapas group are automatically deemed to be false ! All of them.

Monte Gordo is 141 km = 88 MILES from Praia da Luz, One hour and 31 minutes by car (google maps)[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]" />

A = Praia da Luz
B = Monte Gordo
C = Vila Real
QED.
No doubt as a taxi diver he did pick up three adults and a little girl. That is what he gets paid to do.
But come off it British Press. Think about what you are writing.

To quote someone - Ludicrous.

Ludicrous to those who know about the case certainly, but this is aimed at readers mainly ignorant of the facts and so the writer feels free to imply that M was seen alive on 4 May, being hustled towards the Spanish border while the PJ bumbled around oblivious in PDL. In doing so it glosses over the inconvenient fact that the taxi driver described the woman as being a KMcC lookalike. Also that CM publicly dismissed this 'sighting' out of hand at the time, presumably on the authorisation of the McCs themselves. An article mentioning either fact would have more balance, not to mention being a damn sight more interesting read.

by **PeterMac** 25.08.13 11:01

CORRECTION.
The taxi driver says it was 3rd.
Which means all the Tapas statements MUST be fabrications. All of them.
No wonder Clarence dismissed it out of hand.

Quite apart from the obvious fact that it is entirely unconnected . . .

by Monty Heck 25.08.13 11:20

PeterMac wrote:CORRECTION.
The taxi driver says it was 3rd.
Which means all the Tapas statements MUST be fabrications. All of them.
No wonder Clarence dismissed it out of hand.

Quite apart from the obvious fact that it is entirely unconnected . . .

Agreed, the implications not thought through (or were they?). Therefore CM & PJ dismissed it at the time as not fitting the witness testimony of the key players. Then up it pops 6 years later as occurring the following day, ergot MMcC still alive 24 hours later, but still with more holes than a Swiss cheese not to mention calamitious for the T9 if found to be credible.

by Guest 25.08.13 13:44

Pinched from the MM site. New version of Big Yellow Taxi.

Late last night the rags rehashed the scam
Seems a big Algarve taxi took away Maddie McCann
Don't it always seem to go that they don't know what they've got till she's gone
They screwed paradise and put up an online shop
They took all the posters and put 'em in the Maddie Museum
And charged all the numpties a dollar and a half just to see 'em

All together now.

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by Hicks 25.08.13 14:20

PeterMac wrote:CORRECTION.
The taxi driver says it was 3rd.
Which means all the Tapas statements MUST be fabrications. All of them.
No wonder Clarence dismissed it out of hand.

Quite apart from the obvious fact that it is entirely unconnected . . .

All the Tapas statements ARE fabrications, a key female witness states unequivocally that there was no one in the street at 9.15, not a soul for as long as she was sat with her whisky on her balcony( which had the best view out of the whole block apparently) no one went into 5a ( she could see directly into the garden)so JT wasn't there at the time she says she was, neither GM, JT did not see anyone, be it an eggman, stickman or bogeyman, at the top of the street carrying a child/bundle or what ever else she described.

Don't forget the elderly Brit lady who came forward to make a statement regarding the suspicious looking woman hanging around outside the apartment block on the 3rd, wearing 'purple' who did not want to be seen, I think this was around 8.00-8.30. We know from JW statement that JT was wearing purple that evening, the lady said she looked Portuguese, so does JT.

by plebgate 05.09.13 8:51

I wonder when the PJ will release the transcripts of any new interviews into the public domain?

Will be interesting to read the official statements as opposed to the press reports.

by figaro19 03.06.14 13:42

ce que dit ce chauffeur de taxi et hautement probable.
il parle aussi d'un vehicule BMW 4x4 bleu (x3-x5) "pas une
voiture de pauvre".
:fingerscrossed

by comperedna 12.07.14 17:50

I know that for a variety of reasons Castella the taxi driver's comments were not considered relevant, but what I would like to know is whether the child was carried to get into and out of his taxi or if she walked... barefoot or not.

by Hicks 12.07.14 19:58

comperedna wrote:I know that for a variety of reasons Castella the taxi driver's comments were not considered relevant, but what I would like to know is whether the child was carried to get into and out of his taxi or if she walked... barefoot or not.

This taxi driver and his story has always intrigued me. Mr Castella claims to have picked up the child and three adults on the 3rd May but this got spun into it happening on the 4th May which is interesting, considering we had a media manipulator involved.

Clarence Mitchel says, 'the declarations of Mr Castella are false'.... when it was the 3rd May.

This makes me think there could be some truth in the story, or perhaps it is connected at least in someway.

I found this snippet in a newspaper article from the McCannfiles.......'On the arrival at the journey's destination, Antonio pulled out the baby's chair of the luggage car. It was the same as what the couple usually uses', He affirms.

If it wasn't for the dogs this story would fit in perfectly with the theory that it was a pre-planned fake abduction. It would explain GM and his joking and laughter a few days later. It would explain the lack of emotion, the playing of tennis, the jogging, in fact, every event thereafter would then make sense.....but for the dogs!