A short investigation into Adrian Gatton, TV producer and investigator

A short investigation into Adrian Gatton, TV producer and investigator (and an invitation)

by MMRG, 27 January 2018

with thanks to CMOMM members who assisted with the report

The man who has been most vocal for the past fortnight, i.e.since Kevin Halligen’s death was reported on 13 January, has been journalist-turned-TV-producer Adrian Gatton.

We now know that Adrian Gatton is significantly connected to the Madeleine McCann case and the continuing cover-up of the truth.

He has told us these things:

1 He is a ‘friend’ of Kevin Halligen
2 He was the producer of that thoroughly misleading documentary ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’
3 He seems to know more about Kevin Halligen’s death than anyone else
4 Just over a year ago shared on social media a photo of Kevin Halligen taken ‘last year’ looking ‘the worse for wear’. That alone suggests quite a close friendship:
5 He has pronounced – in advance of any post-mortem being published or any announcement by the Coroner – that his friend Kevin Halligen’s death was due to alcoholism and was ‘definitely not foul play’.

On that last point, he may turn out to be correct. But what else do we know about Adrian Gatton?

He has both written articles for the print media, and has produced dozens of TV documentaries.

Dealing first with his print journalism, here are some of his articles:

Crime boss crony arrested over Hatton Garden raid The Times, Sun 7 August 2016

British hostage held by al-Qaeda in Algeria was shot by troops in failed rescue bid The Sunday Telegraph, Sun 14 September 2014

Exclusive: Death in the desert - did a security man see it coming?
The Independent, Thu 12 September 2013
The mystery of Lord Mandelson's finances
The Daily Telegraph, Sun 11 July 2010 (2 blog links)
Mandelson named in spy files on oligarch
London Evening Standard, Fri 24 October 2008

« All previous articles

See LINK: http://journalisted.com/adrian-gatton

This is what Adrian Gatton says about himself

“I am a freelance television producer and director who has made programmes for the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 in the UK, and for PBS in the United States. I have worked for series such as Dispatches, Cutting Edge, True Stories, The Money Programme, Panorama (developments), Sleepers (undercover), Mark Thomas, other investigative, crime and contemporary history programmes. I have produced a series of original Channel 4 News investigations, worked as an occasional reporter (Channel 4 News) and also as a documentary director (First Cut, C4; Cutting Edge, C4 and for Channel 5). I have written for national newspapers including The Independent, The Independent on Sunday, The Evening Standard, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Mail, The Times and The Sunday Times. I was a staff features writer at The Big Issue and have also written for Time Out, as well as specialist magazines such as Druglink, Metal Bulletin and Inside Housing”.

There is more about him here:

https://adriangatton.net/

and here:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1472868/


Gatton, Halligen, and ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’

In a series of tweets reproduced on the CMOMM forum by Get’emGonçalo, Gatton has revealed more about his knowledge of Halligen, and in turn about his role in the McCann case.

Here is what he said in his six tweets published on CMOMM:

‘Standard practice in corporate/intel/security/private investigations for intel work to be sub-contracted to specialists. Halligen attended some meetings, negotiated contract and fees (v. important), housed the operation at the Jermyn Street office’

‘Halligen was not in charge of the investigation into Madeleine McCann. Henri Exton was in charge, and his own team did collection (gathering intel), witness and source interviews, analysis, tasking, surveillance, cover, efits report-writing etc.’

Meanwhile Halligen undermined the real op by spending the money to find Madeleine on his ‘high roller’ lifestyle e.g. he didn’t pay the team doing the real on-the-ground-ops to find Madeleine, the ex-MI5 A4 surveillance team...)(emphasis: ex-MI5)’

‘Hope that provides a bit of clarity. Halligen did the deal through his company, but others did the serious work . In short, Halligen was a con-man who took that money but the work WAS done (eg see the Smith efits, adopted by Op Grange)’

‘Watch my ‘McCanns and the Con-Man’ for more context , though it only relates a fraction of the story’

‘Detectives from Operation Grange have the ‘Final Report’ Some say it served as a roadmap for the investigation . One question though: which edition of the report did Op Grange receive and did they receive the draft editions also?’

From these six tweets, it is plain that Gatton is repeating the rubbish we were expected to believe in ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’.

In short, for those who have not yet seen the film, the narrative of the film was this:

1 The McCanns were serious - and desperate - about ‘finding Madeleine’

2 Having first hired the disreputable and corrupt Barcelona-based detective agency Metodo 3, the McCanns were now seeking to hire a more effective detective agency (as Metodo 3 had found nothing)

3 Despite the Find Madeleine Fund Trust having a full set of experienced and responsible directors; despite the McCanns’ private investigation being led by the vastly successful Cheshire-based businessman, Brian Kennedy; despite the experienced team they had all around them (former Head of Media Monitoring, Clarence Mitchell, top lawyer Edward Smethurst, and top libel lawyers Carter-Ruck, to name but three); despite doing the due diligence you would expect from such a high-powered team, and, lastly, despite the fact they must have known of Halligen’s dark dealings when working for disgraced firm Trafigura and their lawyers Carter-Ruck…they decided to appoint a con-man Kevin Halligen. We were expected ,by watching Gatton’s, film to believe that this experienced team of advisers were all duped by the seductive charms weaved by Halligen???

4 We were supposed to believe that Halligen’s side-kick Henri Exton was the genuine article; a true professional, honestly and fearlessly searching for the truth about what really happened to Madeleine

5 We were supposed to believe that the carefully-filmed car chase, shown in the film, was a genuine hunt for a genuine suspect - when it must have been obvious to most that this piece of footage had merely been pre-arranged to provide some ‘evidence’ of a supposedly genuine search for a supposedly real suspect, capable (as they hoped) of deceiving viewers

6 We were supposed to believe that Henri Exton was the ‘mastermind’ behind what was represented as a very sincere investigation, resulting in what appeared to be an impressive piece of work: ‘The Report of Operation Omega’

7 We were supposed to believe that Exton’s report was now the basis for future work by Operation Grange (“a roadmap for their investigation”) and that this hero (Exton) had uncovered new truths about the Madeleine McCann case that had not already been found by the Portuguese Police, Leicestershire Police, Scotland Yard and Metodo 3 combined, and

8 Finally, we were supposed to believe that Exton’s two efits of two very different-looking men were supposed to be e-fits of Operation Grange’s new ‘top suspect’ – despite the fact that the man who was supposed to have helped to draw up these two e-fits, Martin Smith, had gaily told the Irish police in September 2007 that he was 60%-80% sure that the man he’d seen four months earlier was Gerry McCann. This despite the fact that he admitted he had (a) only seen the man for a few seconds at most (b) in the dark (c) in a weakly-lit street (d) he had been unable to see all the man’s face because the child was in front of it, (e) he had not seen the man for at least a year and, last but not least (f) he had categorically told the Portuguese Police that he would never be able to recognise the man if he saw him again.

The claims of Gatton as set out in his six tweets

If we are to believe all or any of the claims made in Gatton’s six tweets, he tells us:

A He knows all about how genuine intelligence operations are run

B He knows (did Halligen tell him?) that Halligen ‘attended meetings’ (he doesn’t specify what meetings and who they were with)

C Halligen housed the operation at ‘Jermyn Street’ – suggesting that this was a genuine base for a genuine operation

D Then he tells us that Halligen wasn’t in charge of the operation at all; it was really Henri Exton who was in charge

E Exton did piles of real, genuine, intelligence work: “collection (gathering intel), witness and source interviews, analysis, tasking, surveillance, cover, efits report-writing etc.”

F Halligen spent most of the money he received on his ‘high-roller’ lifestyle

G Gatton’s film ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’ is supposed to provide ‘context’ i.e. provide a useful factual background

H There could be different versions of Exton’s report, including one or two drafts, and this may be significant in some way.

Evaluation

Clearly Gatton has in his own mind obviously swept aside all the evidence that Madeleine may have died in her parents’ apartment and that her body may have been hidden and that a huge cover-up of the truth may have taken place.

We may assume that he has been friends with Halligen for some time and therefore also friends with the other two members of the team who worked alongside Halligen: Henri Exton and Tim Craig-Harvey, who both appeared in the ‘McCanns and the Con-Man’ film.

All three – Halligen, Exton and Craig-Harvey – had, between them, extensive involvement with the state security services and the British defence industry. Exton was formerly the Head of Covert Intelligence at MI5, in which role he would have access to the highest levels of intelligence, whether this was used for legitimate or illegitimate purposes.

We are expected also to believe that Exton, with his previous high level MI5 connections (and leaving aside the matter of his two highly controversial efits) had produced a report - on the grandly-styled ‘Operation Omega’ - which contained valuable information about what had really happened to Madeleine McCann. We are sure that it did not.

Gatton has made a film for Channel 5 which purports to propound as true the eight points we listed above, namely that:

1 The McCanns appointed Halligen & co as part of a genuine search for Madeleine

2 The McCanns sincerely believed that Halligen & co were going to run a genuine investigation

3 The McCanns (and their advisers) were ‘duped’ by Halligen

4 Henri Exton was a true professional trying hard to establish the truth

5 The car chase shown in the film was genuine

6 Exton’s ‘Operation Omega’ report was a genuine assessment of what really happened to Madeleine

7 Exton’s report was an immensely valuable tool for Operation Grange, giving them new leads, and

8 The two e-fits of two different-looking men are genuinely supposed to be the face(s) of a man, carrying a child clad only in pyjamas, allegedly seen by Martin Smith and members of his family at about 10pm on Thursday 3 May.

We respectfully suggest that none of these eight points is true.

What Gatton failed to include in his film

The idea that Gatton’s film provides any true context is ludicrous. Here’s what Gatton did not tell his viewers:

1 He didn’t tell them that there was any evidence, let alone a great deal of evidence, that Madeleine had died in her parents’ apartment

2 He didn’t tell them about how the McCanns first hired Metodo 3, whose boss lied and claimed they had found Madeleine alive and were ‘closing in’ on the kidnappers

3 He didn’t tell them about how Brian Kennedy then appointed Gary Hagland to look for Madeleine, despite his only professional qualification being in money-laundering regulations

4 He didn’t tell them that Halligen only formed his U.S.-based company in June 2007 after Madeleine was reported missing

5 He didn’t tell them that the McCanns’ PT chief, Clarence Mitchell, had falsely boasted to the media that Halligen’s company were ‘the big boys of international private investigation’

6 He didn’t tell them that Halligen was paid all or most of his £500,000 fee upfront

7 He didn’t tell them that Halligen was sacked after no more than 4 months’ work, following widespread reportes in the media that there had been a blazing row amongst the Directors of the Find Madeleine Fund about Halligen’s performance

8 He didn’t tell them that Henri Exton had once been employed as the Head of Covert Intelligence for MI5

9 He didn’t tell them that Halligen, Exton and Craig-Harvey all had, between them, extensive links to the British government’s security services and the Ministry of Defence and the defence industry

10 He didn’t tell them about the true circumstances under which the Smiths allegedly claimed to have seen a man carrying a child in pyjamas

11 He didn’t tell them that Martin Smith had identified Gerry McCann as the man allegedly seen by the Smiths.

Conclusions

Gatton has done a great deal of investigative journalism and made TV documentaries on many controversial and important issues, including cases where there have been cover-ups.

For all we know, these may have all been excellent films including many worthwhile revelations.

Gatton will have many high-level contacts. On the evidence he himself provides and from the evidence of his film ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’, these contacts are likely to include high-ranking police officers, prominent people in the media, and members of British government security services e.g. MI5 and Special Branch.

Gatton’s film ‘The McCanns and the Con-Man’ was shown five months after the Met Police-BBC Crimewatch McCann Special was transmitted on 14 October 2013 and seems designed to completely reinforce the conclusions of that programme, with which we profoundly disagree.

It is very likely that Gatton would have had a number of conversations with Operation Grange before his film was transmitted.

Gatton may well be capable of being trusted completely when he makes films of other issues. But as we have seen, based on the evidence of his film and what he has told us in recent days, he cannot be relied on when it comes to the issues of what happened to Madeleine McCann, and on what is the real truth behind the now-notorious Halligen-Exton private investigation.

Adrian Gatton has taken to Twitter to give us little snippets about Halligen’s death. He was clearly much involved in Halligen’s life. He made a misleading film about Halligen and Exton which backed up the McCanns’ version of events. He claimed that Exton’s ‘Smithman efits’ were the main clue being followed up by Operation Grange, which most on CMOMM know is unadulterated rubbish.

Sign up for CMOMM, Adrian, and tell us all you really know about your friend Halligen/Powell and about what really happened to Madeleine McCann. You’ll be made welcome if you tell us the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

MMRG
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Comments can be left on this thread: https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t14891-a-short-investigation-into-adrian-gatton-tv-producer-and-investigator-and-an-invitation

INSIDE THE MCCANNS’ PRIVATE INVESTIGATION – Disclosures by Gary Hagland, a money laundering expert hired by Brian Kennedy

by Tony Bennett on 03.03.17

INSIDE THE MCCANNS’ PRIVATE INVESTIGATION – Disclosures by Gary Hagland, a money laundering expert hired by Brian Kennedy

To my knowledge, so far only two of the investigators employed by the McCann Team and Brian Kennedy to search for Madeleine have ever given away any of the secrets of what really went on inside that investigation.

One of them was one of the Metodo 3 detectives, Julian Peribanez. His account of life with the team searching for Madeleine can be read on CMOMM, here:

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t12458-exclusive-to-cmomm-corruption-and-criminality-inside-the-metodo-3-investigation-into-madeleine-mccann-s-disappearance-extracts-from-a-book-by-two-metodo-3-men-tamarit-and-peribanez-plus-a-second-book-written-by-francisco-marco


The other is Gary Hagland.

My involvement with Gary Hagland, and what he had to say about the six-month period he was employed by Brian Kennedy  is covered in several threads:

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t7348-gary-hagland-on-the-mccann-team-s-preparations-to-look-for-madeleine-in-morocco-and-how-the-king-of-morocco-gave-permission-for-metodo-3-to-enter-his-country

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t7311-gary-hagland-the-mysterious-seventh-man-in-the-mccann-team-private-investigations

https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t7332-gary-hagland-s-seven-months-sep-2007-to-april-2008-close-to-the-heart-of-the-private-madeleine-mccann-investigations


----------

I have decided that now is the time to reveal the one and only written material he ever sent me on the case, namely what he said was Chapter 10 of his proposed book on the case.

To recap, Gary Hagland, who lives in Nottingham, first ‘phoned me one Saturday afternoon in April 2009, just as I ws listening to the football results coming in. and waiting for Sport Report. He spoke for about an hour-and-a half. He told me quite a lot about his work with Brian Kennedy, which I’ve dealt with on the other threads.

Hagland is qualified in Financial Compliance, that is, in money laundering and fraud. Why he was selected to hunt for a missing child is anyone’s guess. I later found out that he has written a book: ‘UFO: A Saucer full of Secrets’, under the pen-name Mason Hosrbrough, in which, inter alia, he describes a swift trip to Saturn and back with aliens in a flying saucer.   

My assessment of this chapter is as follows:

1 The first two quotes from emails – probably true

2 The next bit up to the middle of page 2 – background waffle

3 Form there to the end of page 3 – probably true

4 Pages 4 to the middle of page 6 – mostly true and can be checked   

5 From here to the top of page 8 – a combination of waffle and rubbish about some Arab mistaking the word ‘Maddie’ for the Arabs/Muslims’ end-times figure, the ‘Mahdi’

6 From here to the bottom of page 9 – mostly true

7 Bottom of page 9 to the end, talking about Brian Kennedy’s staff meeting – I basically take it with a large pinch of salt.

Here it is, anyway:










continued...https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t16465-inside-the-mccanns-private-investigation-disclosures-by-gary-hagland-a-money-laundering-expert-hired-by-brian-kennedy#403375

Madeleine McCann case: The events from 9pm 3RD MAY to end of 4TH MAY as told by the main witnesses

Introduced by Tony Bennett - May 2012

This excellent analysis of the key witness statements about events from 9pm on 3 May until the end of 4 May was compiled in, I think, early 2009 by Kazlux, astro and Joana Morais, and can be found still, I believe, on Joana Morais' blog. It may well be on the mccannfiles site as well. I reproduce it here as a research tool for this forum. In doing so, I make no comment on it, fearing that any comment which does not unequivocally back the McCanns' account of events could be deemed libelllous and a contempt of court. So the information below (in several parts) can be used by McCann-sceptics and McCann-believers alike to support their respective understandings of these events:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

21H20, Executive Chef A. E. G. F. P. heard some clamour, which made him leave toward the restaurant, a few meters away, and was then informed that a child had disappeared.
at around 21:40, he left the restaurant passing through the same esplanade where moments before, he had seen the same table occupied by the three couples, empty, who had left in the meanwhile various items, principally clothing. He was told by his colleagues that the child who had disappeared was a child of one of those couples;

Property manager B. J. J. W. heard about the news being investigated on the evening of 3rd May at about 21.30 – 21.40 from P.B., a Dutchman and owner of the Atlántico restaurant, who passed by the witness near the Baptista supermarket, in P da L and who asked for his help in searching for Madeleine. He then went to the place where the events occurred which was at about 21.45 – 21.50. At this time various local people and MW staff were present. When questioned he said that the police had not yet arrived and that about 5 minutes had passed.

Dinner finished at around 21H45 and some minutes passed where waiter R. A.E D. L. O. looked towards the table but saw no one—his colleague told him that all the guests of that table left rapidly and abruptly. He remembers having heard shouts in the direction of the McCann apartment;

Between 21.30 and 22: Fitness instructor/Waiter J. R. S. went over to the table and joked with (Diane Webster): “They’ve left you alone?” She responded more of less with these words: “No, they went to see if the little girl was there.” I responded that I hoped they would find her somewhere in the apartment. At saying this, I saw the man. Who I knew later to be Madeleine’s father, running to the pool and to the children’s play area in the Tapas zone as if looking for someone. It immediately hit me that after talking to the older woman, that the little girl had not been found. I offered to alert the workers at the Milenium Restaurant and the man agreed. He then left again running to continue searching. I believe that this was between 21H30 and 22H00 but do not remember with certainty.

approx. 21.55 pm The Smith Family, (4 adults and 5 children) are returning from 'Kelly's Bar', heading north, all spread out along the street and they pass a man walking down the middle of the street, carrying a child, with the head against his left shoulder and the arms hanging down alongside the body, in light colored or pink pyjamas, bare feet, pale skin typical of British and blond, shoulder-length hair; the girl is about 3-4 years old, about 1 metre tall. - The man is not dressed like a tourist; he's wearing cream or beige trousers, classic cut, of linen or cotton. He is white, 30-35 yrs, 1.70-1.80 meters tall, average build, physically fit, short, brown hair, with a face that looks tanned. (GA)

M. M. M. d. S. declares that on the night 03-05-07, she left the apartment at around 21H58—she remembers the exact time because she asked her friend the time and she responded after checking this on the telephone in the lounge;
. They left the building and the deponent and her boyfriend took the Opel Frontera, previously indicated, which was parked out front of the apartment, in the private parking area of Block 6 where her friend’s apartment was located;
. She declares that the night was good with a breeze, and that it was dark;
. After leaving Block 6, they turned right and after left, passing in front of the block occupied by the McCanns. She states that she saw no movement of people, and that in the immediate areas of the blocks she saw no vehicle with the exception of a small car, that appeared to her grey in colour, parked close to the window of the McCann apartment;
She declares further that she mentioned this fact to her boyfriend and that it wasn’t yet summer given the movement on the roads, and at that hour movement was nill;
. States that she looked at the exit of the apartment and that from the flat above the McCanns, she saw light, and also in from of the apartment, but she could not define, concretely, where she saw the light when she passed the McCann apartment;
. Next to the tree, she did not detect any movement of people or vehicles, and nothing struck her as abnormal in that zone that would have raised her suspicions;

Receptionist Ocean Club H. J. S. L. was on duty and was contacted by a member of staff from the Tapas Restaurant between 21.30 and 22.00 who informed him that the daughter of some guests who were dining there had disappeared. He immediately contacted the GNR in Lagos, shortly after this the child’s father and John Hill arrived at the reception and he phoned the GNR again.

Bar chef M. J. d. S. R. heard about it on that night at about 22.00 when an English tourist arrived at the Millenium restaurant to ask whether anyone had seen a lost little girl.

After 22:00 R. R. S. B. and his wife were still sitting on the veranda in the B. family apartment. They heard noises downstairs and afterwards found out that a child had disappeared. Gerald was seen and spoken to by N.B. and R.R.S.B. They heard him calling for Madeleine when they were sitting on N.B.’s balcony, not far from the McCann’s apartment. They both went down to talk to Gerald and helped in the search.

Between 22H00 and 22H30, waiter J. J. M. B. was in the kitchen, and was alerted, by a colleague, to the fact that a guest entered the restaurant screaming, and at this point, the entire group left in a panic; his colleague proceeded to tell him that the (screaming) individual indicated that a child had gone missing.

about 22.15 Owner of “Duque de Holanda” Bar J. O. W. was working in her bar when some employee who she cannot identify (but whom she knows works for Mark Warner) informed them that a girl had disappeared from the OC.

At about 22.17 Hotel manager E. L. K. received a call from L.J., the Crèche Manager, informing her that the girl had gone missing. She met L.J. and the Service Manager, A.T., near to the Tapas Bar and they initiated the “Mark Warner procedures for the search of a missing child”.

Tennis coach D. J. S. knew about the disappearance of little MBM that same night, about 22h20, because he was contacted by a resort worker having attended and partcipated in the searches.

Tennis coach G.L.J. knew about the disappearance of little MBM that same night, about 22h20, because she lives in the same house as another OC worker and (s)he told her.

22.28 Manager J.H. gets a phone call from L.J., head of the child care service, who told him about a female child staying at the resort who had disappeared. This phone call was made to his mobile phone at about 22.28 on 03-05-2007. About 5 minutes later J.H presented himself at the resort. Upon arriving at the scene he saw about 100 people, employees, guests and residents searching the grounds, the beach and adjoining areas calling out the child’s name.

Head of Maintenance J. C. S. B. was informed about 22.30 by phone by the OC administrator, who had contacted his wife, S.B..

Manager G. R. C. arrived at 22H25 and there found J.H. and other functionaries, S.B., J.B., the former who is employee manager and the latter maintenance; when he arrived at the Ocean Club, he went to the entry of the pool and the restaurant (Tapas) areas of said establishment, having there come across various individuals in the local, all of which were participating in the search for the lost child, and was made up of guests and other people;

At around 22h30, after having left the apartment where she is living, close to the establishment mentioned, together with two more colleagues, also residents there, whose name are Leanne and Sarah, nanny K. M. found her colleague Amy. That during their discussion she was informed that Madeleine McCann had disappeared and that they were looking for her. For this reason, together with her colleagues, they also began searching for Madeleine McCann.

Millennium waitress A. N. d. . heard about the events on the same day at about 22.30 when she was at the restaurant bar where she works, relaxing with her mother and sister. At that moment, a British individual, a tennis instructor entered the restaurant, and told them what had happened, and headed towards the interior of the space where the pool are, looking for the girl. She says that because she had had some alcoholic drinks, she was not in a condition to participate in the searches. However, her sister did take part in the searches, together with her boyfriend.

Just after 22.30 upstairs neighbor Mrs. F. heard the hysterical shouts from a female person, calling out “we have let her down” which she repeated several times, quite upset. Mrs Fenn then saw that it was the mother of little Madeleine who was shouting furiously. Upon leaning over the terrace, after having seen the mother, Mrs. F. asked the father, Gerry, what was happening to which he replied that a small girl had been abducted. When asked, she replied that she did not leave her apartment, just spoke to Gerry from her balcony, which had a view over the terrace of the floor below. She found it strange that Gerry when said that a girl had been abducted, he did not mention that it was his daughter and that he did not mention any other scenarios. At that moment she offered Gerry help, saying that he could use her phone to contact the authorities, to which he replied that this had already been done. It was just after 22.30.

Millinnium restaurant employee D. J. A. V. d. S. stated that an individual, tall and of British nationality, appeared in the restaurant at about 22.30/22.45, who asked him whether he had seen a little girl who had disappeared, describing her as blonde and three years old and that she was probably wearing pyjamas. The witness and his colleague, M.d.F., replied that they hadn’t, upon which the individual ran out.

Millennium waiter G. C. C. C. says that when the events occurred he was working in the restaurant and heard about the disappearance at about 22.30 – 23.00 from a Mark Warner employee (he doesn’t know his name, but he is of English nationality) who, at that moment asked to use a telephone in the bar to make a call as he had received information about the disappearance of the girl on his mobile. He does not know the concrete terms of the conversation but he is clear that something had happened. The employee then left the bar/restaurant. When his shift ended he joined in the searched with his colleague Nelson. He searched until 03.00 AM.

Around 22H45, nanny S. B. O. was in the bar known as ‘Mirage’ together with her colleagues, whose names are Emma, Shinead, Najoua, Hayley and Stacy, which is situated close to the perimeter of the aforementioned resort. After returning from the bathroom, she was informed by her colleague Hayley that a child, of about 3 years of age, and whom was staying at the Ocean Club, had disappeared; she immediately, together with her colleagues, went to the area of a restaurant (Milenium) in the establishment in question near to the bar they were at and began searching for the missing child; during the search, she realised, together with her colleagues of the Ocean Club, others (tourists/owners) were also participating in the search;

22.45/22.50 Manager J. H. went to the apartment being used by the McCanns, where he saw that both members of the couple were in a panic and were shouting that the child had been taken. He always saw the McCanns together in the apartment they were occupying at the time, with the exception of an episode when Gerry went to the main 24 hour reception, with the purpose of speaking to a GNR officer

22.50 pm - First call to GNR Lagos precinct (Guarda Nacional Republicana, rural police); The first call to Police Precinct of GNR (Portuguese Rural Police) in Lagos, reporting a missing child and asking for Police help was made at 10.50pm and a patrol was sent, arriving at Ocean Club 12/15 minutes later, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Costa Cabral, Head of Public Relations of GNR.

About 22.55/23.00 manager E. L. K. went to the McCann’s apartment to obtain the girl’s description and of the clothes she was wearing when she disappeared. When she arrived at the apartment, there was a lady on the terrace, whom she now know to be Kate McCann, accompanied by the wife of one of her friends, David Payne. Kate could not say a word, looked very upset and about to cry. It was Mrs Payne who provided her with the details that she needed.

Head of Maintenance J. C. S. B. arrived at about 23.00 and immediately began to search the resort and the beach area, searching in all the places where the child might be. The searches were carried out by employees from the Tapas and the restaurant who had just finished their shifts and by some local people.

Accountant J. D. N. d. O. N. notes that on May 03, 2007, (Thursday), at around 23H00, at home, in Ramalhete, Casa ***, Praia da Luz, Luz, Lagos, situated close to the OC resort, he noticed “much movement and traffic that was out of the ordinary,” outside (vehicles and individuals passing by frequently) for that time of night. For this reason, he went to look out of his window. Whilst this was happening, he noticed a colleague, J.C.B. (Head of Maintenance at the resort) standing next to his house, who told him what had happened. J.C.B. told him that a child staying at the tourist complex had disappeared.

about 23.00 hrs, OC guest G. McK. approached the McCann’s apartment from the bushes at the rear of the apartment. He was searching the gardens. He did not know it was the McCann’s apartment. He saw Mr Gerry McCann standing alone in the doorway at the rear of the apartment talking on his mobile telephone. Mr McCann was looking our over the swimming pool and did not see Mr McKenzie. Mr McCann was absolutely distraught telling the person receiving the call that he feared “she (Madeleine McCann) had been taken by paedophiles”. He does not know who the person receiving the calls was but presumes it to be a family member: “I worked my way around the area, eventually coming around the back of the tennis courts and up towards what I now know to be the McCanns apartment a couple of hours later. I was looking in the little gardens on the poolside of that block, I was in the end garden when I heard a male voice, he sounded distraught his voice cracking with emotion. I looked to see who I now know to be Gerry McCann stood above me on the balcony/patio about 3 metres away speaking on a mobile phone. I cannot recall his exact words but I got the impression that he was speaking to perhaps a family member or someone he was very close to due to the nature of his conversation. He said something along the lines of there being Paedophile gangs in Portugal and that they had abducted Madeleine. I was so shocked by this, having originally thought that she had just wandered off.”

After she arrived about 23.00 S.B. went immediately to the apartment A5 where she found several people inside the apartment and outside of it. She entered in the flat but soon left without having spoken with anyone, because she was informed that elements of the GNR were in the principal reception. She went there to meet them.
When she came close to the elements of the GNR she found that behind her was
Gerry, Madeleine's father, accompanied by another man whose identity she doesn't remember. Then Gerry kneeled down, hit the floor with both hands, positioning himself as if he were a praying Arab, and screamed twice of anger, what he said being impossible to understand. Then Gerry stand up and accompanied her (the witness) and the other man in the car of the GNR to the apartment A5. S.B. walked Gerry to the GNR car, so he could deliver the requested documents. She states that she carried out these diligences, and other diligences, at the request of the GNR Commander as they used the deponent’s knowledge of the English language to translate the questions that were asked from the missing person’s family members, and the answers that were given. She remembers that Gerry gave the GNR Commander several photographs of the missing person. These were postcard-type photographs, taking their size and shape into account. They were actually photographs of the size and shape of a postcard, and they seemed to be all similar to her.

23.00/23.05 pm - A GNR patrol arrives at Ocean Club (two men); When they arrived they saw the girl’s father, a friend whom GNR Officer N. F. P. d. C. describes as tall and blond, an OC employee and a translator who was also an OC employee, named S.B.. He found it notable that when they were still at the main reception, the father kneeled down, laying his head on the ground and crying, at the same time as making an expression which GNR Officer N. F. P. d. C. did not understand.

Estimated time around 23.10 pm Both David Payne and Matthew Oldfield were seen by E.L.K. when she was on her way to the beach, the search area to which she was assigned by L. J. (child care director and search coordinator).

23:14 Gerry calls Kate (8 seconds)

23:17 Gerry calls Kate (31 seconds)

Estimated time 23.15 - After hearing about the circumstances of the disappearance (from the father with the help of translation) GNR Officer N. F. P. d. C. does not remember whether the word abduction was mentioned, and he went in his police car, to the apartment, accompanied by the father, the friend and the translator.

Original thread here: https://jillhavern.forumotion.net/t5062-the-events-from-9pm-3rd-may-to-end-of-4th-may-as-told-by-the-main-witnesses