Thursday, June 16, 2011

Reconstruction casts doubt on Madeleine kidnapping

Watch the reconstruction

A significant study into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has indicated that kidnapping would be inconsistent with the evidence.

Paulo Sargento, a criminal psychologist at Lusófona University in Libson, has produced a 3D reconstruction of events at the Ocean Club on the evening Madeleine disappeared.

He used minute-by-minute breakdowns of events published in The Times, the respected Portuguese newspapers Público and Sol and the BBC to test all hypotheses put forward by the Portuguese authorities.

Dr Sargento cross-checked times and events from the moment that Kate and Gerry McCann went to pick up their children from the resort’s kindergarten at 4pm, until 10pm, when Mrs McCann reported that Madeleine was missing from their apartment.

He found that from the moment when the McCanns arrived at the tapas restaurant at 8pm, seven people in their party got up a total of 14 times in two hours.

Dr Sargento told SIC television: “There were people passing almost every five minutes. The question is how, in that time, could it be possible with so many people coming and going that no one saw someone coming in through the window without being seen? We have concluded this theory is very inconsistent.”

It is understood that the recreation will be made available to the Polícia Judiciária to assist them in creating a definitive timeline of events on the Ocean Club.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article2622152.ece