Tony Bennett first wrote this article and propounded his hypothesis about Wojchiech Krokowski on 4 November 2014. MMRG revised and updated this article on 17 May 2019 - MMRG.
===================
I am propounding a new hypothesis.
I suggest that the description by Nuno Lourenco of the man who he says 'tried to kidnap' his 3-year-old daughter at Sagres was used by Jane Tanner as the basis for 'Tannerman' and by the Smiths as the basis for 'Smithman'.
Lourenco says he saw a man on Sagres beach covertly and then openly photographing children. He says that later the same day, the same man tried to kidnap his daughter. However, he did not report this apparently terrifying incident until Saturday 5 May, several days later. The man was then identified as Wojcek (also spelt Woychiech) Krokowski, a Polish man from Warsaw who had holidayed with his wife at the Solimar (Sol e Mar) apartments, Burgau, from Saturday, 28 April to Saturday, 5 May 2007.
There are a great number of strange aspects about this sighting. For now, I'll just mention three of them:
On what date did this incident with the man on the beach with a camera occur?
Dr Goncalo Amaral in his book says it occurred Thursday 26 April. The Daily Telegraph report of 12 May 2007 says it was Monday 30 April, the same day as the McCanns were there. But Nuno Lourencos’s statement says it occurred on Sunday 29 April. That hardly gives us confidence that this story is true.
Did the McCanns actually visit Sagres, as claimed in newspaper reports?
It was an integral part of the stories in a number of British mainstream newspapers on 11 and 12 May 2007. The press coverage clearly pointed the finger at this man - possibly a paedophile - with a camera. It was stated as a fact in these articles that the McCanns were on Sagres beach on Monday 30 April and openly stated that this man with a camera might have seen Madeleine that day amnd decided to abduct her. It lent dramatic extra weight to the claim that Madeleine had been abducted. Yet in Dr Kate McCann’s account of events that week in her 2011 book, ‘madeleine’, there is no mention of any visit to Sagres, let alone a ‘day trip’. Also, all three of their children were signed in and out of the crèche at the Ocean Club that day.
Why was this apparently frightening incident not reported straightaway to the police?
Lourenco says the incident took place on Sunday 29 April. He did nothing to report it. He says he saw the man again in Friday 4 May at a car rentals office in Sagres. He says he spoke to his wife about seeing the man again. His wife mentioned the abduction of Madeleine McCann. His wife suggested that he should report the incidents concerning this man to the police. He only did so, however, the following morning, by which time Krokowski and his wife were already in mid-air on a flight from Faro to Berlin. There is no evidence that Krokowski is a paedophile and I cannot find any evidence of any other witnesses who back up Lourenco's story about the two incidents at Sagres.
The description of Wojcek Krokowski = the man on the beach with a camera = 'Sagres man'
The description given by Lourenco of Krokowski is of great interest, as it is remarkably similar to those given by Jane Tanner of 'Tannerman' and the Smiths of 'Smithman'.
Here is the description, direct from his statement, which can be viewed here:
http://www.mccannpjfiles.co.uk/PJ/NUNO_LOURENCO.htm
1. masculine,
2. Caucasian
3. with Latin colouring,
4. curly dark brown hair
5. that ran to his neck
6. and in a pony tail
7. between 35/40 years of age,
8. of medium complexion,
9. and around 170 to 175 cm in height.
He did not have any distinguishing marks or signs and did not wear rings or other jewellery.
10. He wore a cream coloured beach hat,
11. He also wore dark glasses
12. He wore cloth trousers
13. and a coat/jacket of the same material
14. which was cream coloured
15. and was almost the same colour to the hat he had worn previously.
16. His shoes, he thinks, were dark brown…
17. …and of the type that need to be shined or polished [i.e. leather].
The uncanny similarities between Sagres man, Tannerman and Smithman
Here they are:
1. FACE
Tannerman: Dark-skinned individual, couldn’t see his face
Sagres (Polish) man: Caucasian with Latin colouring…’of medium complexion’
Smithman: Difficult to see his face in the dark, didn’t appear to have a beard or moustache
2. AGE
Tannerman: Aged 35-40
Sagres (Polish) man: Between 35-40 years of age
Smithman: Martin Smith says 35-40, Peter Smith says ‘about 35, maybe older’, while Aoife Smith suggests ‘20-30’
3. HEIGHT
Tannerman: About 1.7m tall (5’ 7”)
Sagres (Polish) man: Around 170 to 175 cm in height (5’ 7” - 5’ 9”)
Smithman: Martin and Peter Smith say he was about 1.75m to 1.80m tall (5’ 9” - 5’11”); Aoife Smith says 1.7 to 1.75m (5’ 7” - 5’ 9”)
4. HAIR
Tannerman: Very dark, thick hair, longer at the back
Sagres (Polish) man: Curly, dark brown hair that ran down to the back of his neck, and in a pony tail
Smithman: All the Smiths say his hair was brown and shortish; Aiofe says his hair colour was ‘light brown’, ‘thick’ and ‘long on top‘
5. JACKET
Tannerman: Wearing a dark ‘duffy’ sic type jacket (but not that thick), a sort of anorak, of the same material as his trousers
Sagres (Polish) man: He wore a cream-coloured cloth coat/jacket, of the same material as his trousers
Smithman: The man was wearing a dark jacket. Martin Smith couldn’t remember what top the man was wearing when first questioned, but later ‘remembered’ that he wore ‘a darkish top, maybe a jacket or blazer’
6. TROUSERS
Tannerman: He was wearing linen type ‘chino style’ cloth trousers, beige to golden in colour, like ‘corticite’, of the same material as his jacket
Sagres (Polish) man: He wore cloth trousers, of the same material as his jacket
Smithman: The man was wearing light-coloured trousers. Aoife Smith says: “beige in colour, cotton fabric, thicker than linen…”. Martin Smith says: “He was wearing cream or beige-coloured cloth trousers in a classic cut…”
7. SHOES
Tannerman: His shoes were dark in colour, classic type
Sagres (Polish) man: His shoes, he thinks, were dark brown…and of the type that need to be shined or polished [i.e. leather]. In his book, Dr Goncalo Amaral says they were ‘shoes of a classic type’
Smithman: (no comments made)
8. BUILD
Tannerman: Slim physical appearance
Sagres (Polish) man: (no comment made)
Smithman: The Smiths all say ‘average build’, except that Martin Smith says: “He had an average build, a bit on the thin side”
9. NOT A TOURIST
Tannerman: By the way he was dressed, he gave her the impression that he was not a tourist, because he was very "warmly dressed".
Sagres man: (no comment made, but Dr Goncalo Amaral writes in his book (Chapter 3): “The stranger did not look like a tourist”
Smithman: The man didn’t look like a tourist. The Portuguese police report Martin Smith’s evidence on this point as follows says: “Urged, he states that the individual did not appear to be a tourist. He cannot explain this further. It was simply his perception given the individual's clothing”.
Then there is the Robert Murat connection to this story, which may or not be relevant
Krokowski and his wife stayed in the Solimar apartments that week, which were apparently built by Robert Murat's father and are still maintained by his father's company
The main witness to Krokwoski's activities that week is a staff member who recalls them dining at his Burgau beach bar several times, talking about football, discussing Portuguese and Brazilian music, and taking a trip to an Algarve shopping centre.
The beach bar is said to be owned by Robert Murat's uncle, Ralph Eveleigh - who of course hosted the now-fabled meeting at their villa, Salsalito', on 13 November 2007 between Team Murat (Murat, his mother, aunt, uncle and lawyer Francisco Pagarete) and Team McCann (Cheshire businessman Brian Kennedy and the McCanns' co-ordinating lawyer, Director of Madeleine's Fund and top-ranking Freemason, Edward Smethurst).
-----------
For discussion, please visit this thread: https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t10602-was-wojcek-krokowski-sagres-man-with-a-camera-the-template-for-both-tannerman-and-smithman