3. THE MCCANNS PLAYED TENNIS WITH A PROFESSIONAL COACH WHILE ALL 3 KIDS WERE IN THE NURSERY

23 September Scotsman

Other British journalists were supplied with a detailed version of the day, supplied - through their PR team - by "sources" and "friends" close to the family.

In these comprehensive briefings, it emerged that the last photograph of Madeleine had been taken at <st1:time Hour="14" Minute="30">2.30pm</st1:time> on a digital camera, as she sat by a swimming pool with her father (although the camera's clock said <st1:time Hour="13" Minute="30">1.30pm</st1:time> because of the time difference in <st1:country-region><st1:place>Portugal</st1:place></st1:country-region>). She had apparently been signed in to a Kid's Club during the afternoon, while her parents played tennis with a professional coach, and she was returned to Kate and Gerry McCann's care only at <st1:time Hour="18" Minute="0">6pm.</st1:time>

A "friend" added: "Kate was never alone with Madeleine that afternoon. There were always other witnesses present."

=============================================================

4. GERRY WAS PLAYING TENNIS WHILST KATE GAVE THE KIDS SUPPER AT THE CRECHE

Wikipedia (current)

Although the McCanns insisted that Gerry was playing tennis as Kate gave the children supper at the Ocean Club resort at <st1:time Hour="17" Minute="0">17:00</st1:time>, Miguel Matias, who runs the beach-side Para�?/SPAN>so restaurant, said that the family were at the beach. In the early evening Matias saw Gerry dancing with his daughter while the family ate a meal on the terrace. Portuguese police confirmed that they had received relevant CCTV footage from Matias.[21]

=============================================================

5. KATE STAYED BY THE POOL WHILST GERRY PLAYED TENNIS

Liverpool Daily Post 21 September

The couple are understood to have told police that Madeleine spent much of that afternoon at a kids�?/SPAN> club in the resort while her parents relaxed, Gerry playing tennis with the resort�?/SPAN>s professional coach while Kate stayed by the pool.

The source said that Madeleine had eaten at the kids�?/SPAN> club, rather than being taken to the Paraiso. She was then picked up by her parents two and a half hours before the couple went for dinner, leaving Madeleine and her siblings Sean and Amelie in bed.

=============================================================

6. GERRY PLAYING TENNIS WITH HIS MATES

Yahoo Answers - Best Answer

We read that it was in fact Kate McCann who cannot account for her whereabouts with the children on the afternoon of <st1:date Month="5" Day="3" Year="2007">3rd May 2007</st1:date>.

Gerry 'family man' McCann was playing tennis with his mates in the resort. But where was Kate and the Children between <st1:time Hour="14" Minute="29">2.29pm</st1:time> (when she took the picture of Gerry and two of the children) and <st1:time Hour="20" Minute="30">8.30pm</st1:time> when she arrived in the Tapas Bar ? Note there are no independent witnesses apart from Kate and Gerry's whereabouts after the children were picked up from the Creche at <st1:time Hour="12" Minute="5">12.05pm</st1:time>.

=============================================================

7. GERRY PLAYING TENNIS FROM 7.00PM TO 8.30PM

Telegraph 28 September

Portuguese newspaper Diario de Noticias claimed that between 7pm and 8.30pm - while Mr McCann was playing tennis - neither Madeleine nor Mrs McCann were seen.

=============================================================

8. MADELEINE DIDN�?/SPAN>T HAVE TEA WITH KATE BUT AT THE CRECHE WITHOUT KATE

Daily Mail 21 Sep 2007

The youngsters were put in the resort's Kids Club while their parents took a stroll before collecting them at 12.30pm for lunch back at the apartment.

In the afternoon, the McCanns played tennis while Madeleine went back to the creche after the photograph was taken at the swimming pool.

"There are records for that, written records, and witnesses," said a friend.

"Madeleine was there while Kate and Gerry played tennis with the tennis professional and other witnesses.

"Madeleine had high tea at <st1:time Hour="17" Minute="30">5.30pm</st1:time> with staff at the Kids Club. She was picked up shortly before <st1:time Hour="18" Minute="0">6pm</st1:time> by Kate and Gerry.

"After that Kate and Gerry went home, got the kids ready for bed and got ready to go out for their meal."

=============================================================

9. GERRY TOOK PART IN A SOCIAL TENNIS EVENT WITH THE OTHER �?/SPAN>TAPAS 9�?/SPAN> MEN

21 September - Daily Mail 

It is understood the McCanns then took Madeleine and the twins for a picnic lunch and they spent time at the beach and at the pool of the Ocean Club.

At <st1:time Hour="17" Minute="30">5.30pm</st1:time>, Mr McCann took part in a social tennis event inside the complex with the other men in the group, all doctors who had first met while working in a hospital together in <st1:place>Leicester</st1:place>.

Meanwhile, the children in the group ate their supper at the Paraiso restaurant close to the beach at Praia da Luz with their parents. The McCanns and their children were not present.

 

(Originally posted by 'Detective173' on the Mirror Forum)

Gerry's check at 9.05pm

Gerry McCann is believed to have gone to check on the children at about <st1:time Hour="21" Minute="5">9:05pm</st1:time>, and saw that they were all still asleep, including Madeleine. He spotted that the door to her room was ajar but thought nothing of it at the time, a friend of the family said. But over the months since Madeleine's disappearance, Mr McCann has become increasingly convinced the intruder was already in the flat. "He believes there was certainly something odd," a friend said. "The bedroom door was ajar when he got in and he thought: 'That's strange'. He went into the room, checked that Madeleine was still asleep in bed, then he came out and closed the door. Initially, he thought she might have got up and gone to the toilet but now thinks the abductor must have been in there, hiding." The friend added: "He believes he came in, opened the door and didn't have time to close it (as he went to hide before Mr McCann arrived). Once Gerry had left he would have known he had to come out quickly and because Gerry went out through the patio door, he went out through the window." (Source for above: Liverpool Daily Post 21/09/07 Link here) * Note: For the 'abductor' theory to stand up, the 'abductor' has to be placed in the apartment when Gerry checked.   We know that following his check, Gerry met Jeremy Wilkins on the path outside the apartment and chatted for about 10 minutes. It was during this time, at 9.15pm, that Jane Tanner allegedly saw the 'abductor' walking with 'urgency' across the top of the road where Gerry and Wilkins were standing. It is inconceivable that the 'abductor' could have entered through the patio doors, between 9.10pm when Gerry finished his check and 9.15pm when seen by Jane Tanner, and not been seen by either Gerry or Mr Wilkins. So for the 'abductor' theory to withstand scrutiny, he has to be placed in the apartment when Gerry checked. But that would seem an extraordinarily high-risk action to take by an 'abductor' or 'professional predator' who had supposedly been tracking the movements of the McCanns and their friends for days. There are 3 other major concerns about this statement: Firstly, Gerry has remembered this crucial detail only after 'having thought back over events'. A crucial detail he was apparently unable to recall previously, in over 4 months and over 20 hours of police questioning whilst in Praia da Luz. Indeed, it was only after being made an 'arguido', returning back to the UK and hiring the services of Clarence Mitchell that his memory has apparently been jogged.  Secondly, although already firmly discredited and now disowned by the McCanns, it adds further weight, if it were needed, to the fact that the abductor did not enter by breaking the shutter and window. If he had entered through the window then we would have expected the open bedroom door to have slammed when Gerry opened the patio doors, in the same way Kate has described when doing her check at 10.00pm. Not to mention that Gerry would surely have noticed the cold wind through the open window when he entered the bedroom to check on the sleeping children. It makes the McCanns initial assertions, that the abductor entered though the window, appear even more ludicrous and highlights why a change of story to the 'unlocked patio doors', as a means of entry, was essential to maintain the abductor theory.  Thirdly, it raises a serious question about Gerry's check. If the door had definitely been left shut and it was now open, why did this not ring alarm bells in Gerry's head? Surely anyone returning to their home and finding a door open, that they knew was previously closed, would have felt their heart pound. Who opened it? Are they still there? Are they waiting for me? Why does Gerry appear to have shrugged it off with no apparent reaction, undertaken no search and then calmly returned to the tapas restaurant leaving his three young babies alone?

* Further note: This report contradicts the account given in David James Smith's account published in the Times on 16 December 2007 (Link here), in the following ways:

1) This report says Gerry found the door 'ajar' / Smith's account says the door was open 45%.

2) This report says Gerry shut the door when he left/ Smith's account says Gerry left the door ajar by 5 degrees.

We must remember that Gerry insists the abductor was in the apartment when he performed his check. So, if the abductor was hiding in the apartment itself, then, when Gerry left, he would have had to re-enter the bedroom, with very little concern for resetting it to 5 degrees. This would tie in with Oldfield apparently finding the door open.

 

However, Smith reports that Gerry 'glanced in his own bedroom to see if Madeleine had gone into her parents�?bed', he went into the children's bedroom and saw Madeleine and later 'he went to the loo and left to return to the restaurant'. So where, in the apartment, was the abductor hiding? 

 

If, on the other hand, he was hiding in the bedroom, and left through the window, then we would have expected the door to have remained either shut, or ajar at 5 degrees, depending on which report you believe. When Oldfield checked, the door was allegedly open but why would the abductor have opened it again if he was already in the bedroom? And if he was in the bedroom, then where was he when Gerry checked? A quick look at Madeleine's bed, in the picture published 12 November 2007 shows there was absolutely no room under it to hide.

 

So where was he?

 

Gerry would appear unwilling to commit an answer that question.

<STYLE type=text/css> </STYLE>

Matthew Oldfield's check at 9.30pm

There are a number of concerns about the ‘check�?Matthew Oldfield is alleged to have undertaken at <st1:time Hour="21" Minute="30">9.30pm</st1:time>. Like many of the accounts of the day and evening of May 3rd, it appears to have undergone significant change with time.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> 1) Initially, it was widely reported that Oldfield merely listened at the patio doors and, hearing nothing, assumed the children were all asleep and well. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> 2) This account later changed to him entering the apartment but being unable to see Madeleine as she was obscured by the bedroom door. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> 3) This account was also to change, presumably when it became clear the door entered ‘into�?the room, to suggest Oldfield stood in the doorway but only recalled seeing the twins. But that begs the crucial question: If he stood in the doorway, why didn’t he see Madeleine or the open window and shutter?<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> On <st1:date Month="12" Day="16" Year="2007">16 December 2007</st1:date>, the Times printed an article by David James Smith (Link here) in which he recounts how Gerry McCann and Matthew Oldfield performed their checks.   Smith's article raises three serious questions, which remain painfully unanswered:<o:p></o:p> 1) When Oldfield entered the apartment, why didn't the bedroom door slam shut, as it had done for Kate 30 minutes later? <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Smith reports that, even though Gerry left the door ajar at 5 degrees after his check, the door was open again by the time Oldfield went to check. So why didn't it slam shut? By now the window and shutter were wide open to the same elements that Kate described later.    <o:p></o:p> 2) How can Oldfield recount seeing the twins but not Madeleine? <o:p></o:p> Smith’s account states that Oldfield stood at the doorway and 'merely observed all was quiet and made a cursory glance inside the room, seeing the twins in their cots but, agonisingly, not directly seeing Madeleine’s bed from the angle at which he stood'.   It seems extraordinary that he could 'glance inside the room' yet not see Madeleine's bed. Gerry McCann has been very precise with his angles and it would be very interesting to know at which angle Oldfield could possibly stand and not actually see anything apart from the twins in their cots. Indeed, what else was there to view in this small apartment bedroom other than one bed, two cots and a window?  <o:p> </o:p> 3) How could he not have seen the window and shutter wide open? <o:p></o:p> Again, Smith passes over this with a cursory 'Afterwards, he could not say for sure if she had been there or not. Nor could he say if the window and shutter had been open'. It is hard to imagine how Oldfield's vision and memory could be so selective. Nor how he could not have felt the chilly air blowing into the apartment on what everyone has agreed was a very cold and windy night.   So, is Smith’s article a glimpse of the truth or an insidious attempt to mould the evening’s events to fit the McCanns�?abductor theory? The amount of small, precise detail such as the make of wine they drank at 7.30pm, where Gerry bought it and why it was their favourite could surely only have come from someone who was there, or someone who has been directly briefed on what Kate and Gerry’s movements were that day. Or, alternatively, what they would like us to believe their movements were. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> Similarly, emotions are recounted in such great detail it gives rise to the almost unarguable belief that the source for this article is the McCanns themselves, almost certainly having passed through the hands of Clarence Mitchell. There is nobody else who could possibly be in receipt of this level of information. <o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> One thing is for certain, Oldfield’s apparent inability to perform a simple ‘check�?and then his inability to see or remember anything of any note could be seen as an implicit attempt to protect and sustain the McCanns�?abductor theory.<o:p></o:p> <o:p> </o:p> For the fog of confusion surrounding Oldfield’s check is the only option available that will allow the abductor theory to continue, for two very simple reasons:<o:p></o:p> 1) If he remembers Madeleine was there, it destroys the McCanns only 'evidence' of an abductor who, by Tanner's own account, had left 15 minutes previously with 'Maddie' in his arms, 2) If he says Madeleine wasn't there, then why did he fail to raise the alarm? This would surely be an astonishing and unbelievable thing for him to suddenly say now.   So, he sees nothing. And he remembers nothing. And that would appear to be just a little too convenient.

Timeline for the 'Tapas Nine' on the evening of 03 May 2007

What follows below is a graphical representation of the movements of the 'Tapas Nine' throughout the evening of 03 May 2007.   This is obviously open to speculation, as nobody apart from the PJ have access to witness statements. The movements detailed on this chart tie in with the most commonly recounted versions, which have been rare, contradictory in places and usually gathered from 'sources'.   The version set out below ties in with that put forward in the BBC Panorama programme aired on 19 November 2007.

<STYLE type=text/css> </STYLE>

Time	Diane Webster	Dr Fiona Payne	David Payne	Rachael Oldfield	Dr Matthew Oldfield	Dr Russell O'Brien	Jane Tanner	Kate McCann	Gerry McCann
20:30
20:35
20:40
20:45							Arrival time unknown
20:50
20:55	Arrival time unknown
21:00
21:05									Goes for checks
21:10									Chats with Jeremy Wilkins
21:15							Sees abductor with child
21:20
21:25
21:30 Chekaya joins the table					Goes to check on child + McCann's	Goes for checks
21:35
21:40
21:45							Returns to sick child
21:50
21:55
22:00								Goes to check and discovers Madeleine gone

Why did nobody see the open window and shutter?

Accepting Jane Tanner's version of the timeline, as above, means that at 9.15pm the window and shutter were now wide open to the cold, windy evening.   Yet, we must believe, on six separate occasions this was missed:   1. Jane Tanner immediately after spotting the abductor at 9.15pm and returning to her apartment,  2. Jane Tanner when she returned to the tapas restaurant after completing her check, 3. Matthew Oldfield when he apparently stood at the bedroom door, in the apartment, at 9.30pm, 4. Russell O'Brien when he returned to check his own children at 9.30pm, 5. Jane Tanner when she returned to care for the sick child O'Brien had reported to her at 9.40pm,  6. Russell O'Brien when he returned to the tapas restaurant just before 10.00pm. You could also add Jeremy Wilkins to this list, who was walking his small child in a buggy between 8.30pm and 9.30pm that evening. He has already made it clear he saw neither Jane Tanner nor an abductor. He has also stated he can remember no more significant details of that evening. So, we must assume he did not witness the open window and shutter of the McCanns' apartment, despite having to walk past it on the way back to his top floor apartment.

<STYLE type=text/css> </STYLE>

Telegraph version of 'Tapas Nine' movements on evening of 03 May 2007

7:00pm Madeleine and the other children were put to bed. Reports of when she was last seen before this vary, with some accounts putting it as early as 6pm. This would be crucial as the police might put forward a theory that the McCanns killed Madeleine and hid her body before they went for dinner.   8:30pm Around this time, witnesses agree, the McCanns arrived at the tapas bar near their apartment, meaning there was a "window of opportunity" of up to 2hrs 40 mins for them to kill Madeleine and hide her body - a scenario dismissed as "ludicrous" by their family.   The couple then settled down to dinner and take part in a quiz organised by the Ocean Club's aerobics teacher, Najova Chekaya. The McCanns say checks were made on their children every half-hour, sometimes by other members of the party, comprising Dr Russell O'Brien and Jane Tanner, from Exeter, Dr Matthew and Rachael Oldfield, from London, and David and Fiona Payne, from Leicester, together with Mrs Payne's mother Dianne Webster. Yet Mrs Webster has reportedly told police that each couple was responsible for checking their own children. 9:05pm Gerry McCann left the table to check on his children, who were all sleeping soundly, he says. Returning, he bumped into another British tourist, Jeremy Wilkins, with whom he had played tennis. They chatted for several minutes, as Mr Wilkins has confirmed. 9:15pm Jane Tanner told police that at this time she went to check on her daughter, who was ill, and recalled seeing Mr McCann talking to Mr Wilkins. As she went into the apartment, she saw a man aged around 35 carrying a little girl wrapped in a blanket. She thought nothing of it but is now convinced this was the kidnapper. The child's pyjamas matched the description of those Madeleine was wearing. Mr Wilkins apparently saw no such man, and does not remember seeing Miss Tanner. He has told police: "It was a very narrow path and I think it would have been almost impossible for anyone to walk by without me noticing." 9:30pm Dr Matthew Oldfield left the table and offered to check the McCann children. In his first police statement he said he merely listened at the door of apartment 5a but later said he had gone in and noticed that the room seemed lighter than the others, as if the shutters had been opened. He cannot be certain whether Madeleine was there. Gerry McCann invited Miss Chekaya to join the party at 9.30. Her account apparently contradicts Mr Oldfield, as she claims that no one left or returned to the table in the half-hour she was there. 10:00pm Kate McCann left the table at this time. One tapas bar worker has even claimed that only one person left the table during the evening, a tall man thought to be Dr O'Brien. There are also conflicting accounts of how much the party drank. One Portuguese newspaper claimed the nine friends downed 14 bottles of wine. The McCanns insist they drank three or four. Kate McCann ran back to the restaurant at 10pm, saying Madeleine was missing. 10:14pm Police were called after the friends made an initial search. Detectives are said to be intrigued by one witness report which quoted Kate McCann shouting out: "They've taken her, they've taken her!" They believe her immediate assertion that Madeleine had been snatched - and the implication that it was by more than one person - is suspicious. But other accounts have claimed Mrs McCann in fact said: "Madeleine has gone. Somebody has taken her." (Timeline above reproduced from Daily Telegraph 12/09/07) Note: The local GNR police were not called until 10:41pm (link) and they arrived at 10:47pm. It is reported that Matthew Oldfield asked the Ocean Club reception to call the police around 10:15pm but that has not been confirmed by Mark Warner.  (See also Daily Mail timeline posted 09/11/07 based on Portuguese documentary-makers who claim they have stripped away the contradictions and inconsistencies in different witness accounts and used only definitive information verified by detectives)

Why did nobody see the open window and shutter?

Accepting Jane Tanner's version of the timeline, as above, means that at 9.15pm the window and shutter were now wide open to the cold, windy evening.   Yet, we must believe, on six separate occasions this was missed:   1. Jane Tanner immediately after spotting the abductor at 9.15pm and returning to her apartment,  2. Jane Tanner when she returned to the tapas restaurant after completing her check, 3. Matthew Oldfield when he apparently stood at the bedroom door, in the apartment, at 9.30pm, 4. Russell O'Brien when he returned to check his own children at 9.30pm, 5. Jane Tanner when she returned to care for the sick child O'Brien had reported to her at 9.40pm,  6. Russell O'Brien when he returned to the tapas restaurant just before 10.00pm. You could also add Jeremy Wilkins to this list, who was walking his small child in a buggy between 8.30pm and 9.30pm that evening. He has already made it clear he saw neither Jane Tanner nor an abductor. He has also stated he can remember no more significant details of that evening. So, we must assume he did not witness the open window and shutter of the McCanns' apartment, despite having to walk past it on the way back to his top floor apartment.

<STYLE type=text/css> </STYLE>

Telegraph version of 'Tapas Nine' movements on evening of 03 May 2007

7:00pm Madeleine and the other children were put to bed. Reports of when she was last seen before this vary, with some accounts putting it as early as 6pm. This would be crucial as the police might put forward a theory that the McCanns killed Madeleine and hid her body before they went for dinner.   8:30pm Around this time, witnesses agree, the McCanns arrived at the tapas bar near their apartment, meaning there was a "window of opportunity" of up to 2hrs 40 mins for them to kill Madeleine and hide her body - a scenario dismissed as "ludicrous" by their family.   The couple then settled down to dinner and take part in a quiz organised by the Ocean Club's aerobics teacher, Najova Chekaya. The McCanns say checks were made on their children every half-hour, sometimes by other members of the party, comprising Dr Russell O'Brien and Jane Tanner, from Exeter, Dr Matthew and Rachael Oldfield, from London, and David and Fiona Payne, from Leicester, together with Mrs Payne's mother Dianne Webster. Yet Mrs Webster has reportedly told police that each couple was responsible for checking their own children. 9:05pm Gerry McCann left the table to check on his children, who were all sleeping soundly, he says. Returning, he bumped into another British tourist, Jeremy Wilkins, with whom he had played tennis. They chatted for several minutes, as Mr Wilkins has confirmed. 9:15pm Jane Tanner told police that at this time she went to check on her daughter, who was ill, and recalled seeing Mr McCann talking to Mr Wilkins. As she went into the apartment, she saw a man aged around 35 carrying a little girl wrapped in a blanket. She thought nothing of it but is now convinced this was the kidnapper. The child's pyjamas matched the description of those Madeleine was wearing. Mr Wilkins apparently saw no such man, and does not remember seeing Miss Tanner. He has told police: "It was a very narrow path and I think it would have been almost impossible for anyone to walk by without me noticing." 9:30pm Dr Matthew Oldfield left the table and offered to check the McCann children. In his first police statement he said he merely listened at the door of apartment 5a but later said he had gone in and noticed that the room seemed lighter than the others, as if the shutters had been opened. He cannot be certain whether Madeleine was there. Gerry McCann invited Miss Chekaya to join the party at 9.30. Her account apparently contradicts Mr Oldfield, as she claims that no one left or returned to the table in the half-hour she was there. 10:00pm Kate McCann left the table at this time. One tapas bar worker has even claimed that only one person left the table during the evening, a tall man thought to be Dr O'Brien. There are also conflicting accounts of how much the party drank. One Portuguese newspaper claimed the nine friends downed 14 bottles of wine. The McCanns insist they drank three or four. Kate McCann ran back to the restaurant at 10pm, saying Madeleine was missing. 10:14pm Police were called after the friends made an initial search. Detectives are said to be intrigued by one witness report which quoted Kate McCann shouting out: "They've taken her, they've taken her!" They believe her immediate assertion that Madeleine had been snatched - and the implication that it was by more than one person - is suspicious. But other accounts have claimed Mrs McCann in fact said: "Madeleine has gone. Somebody has taken her." (Timeline above reproduced from Daily Telegraph 12/09/07) Note: The local GNR police were not called until 10:41pm (link) and they arrived at 10:47pm. It is reported that Matthew Oldfield asked the Ocean Club reception to call the police around 10:15pm but that has not been confirmed by Mark Warner.  (See also Daily Mail timeline posted 09/11/07 based on Portuguese documentary-makers who claim they have stripped away the contradictions and inconsistencies in different witness accounts and used only definitive information verified by detectives)