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Thanks to Albym
Processos Volume 11
Pages 2747 to 2751
-Witness statement of Marco Paulo Ventura de Pimental Vaz Pereira
Date: 20 July 2007; Time: 09h30; Place: PJ/DCCB/Lisboa
Officer: Renato C., Inspector
To the matter at hand he said:
--- He presents himself as a witness, by virtue of having observed an event that he believes could aid in the location of the minor Madeleine Beth McCann, missing since 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz, Lagos.
--- Given that that disappearance had large coverage in the media he presumes that the greater majority of the population remain attentive [watchful] in the sense of being able to give some kind of contribution that could eventually lead to the location of the minor, as well as to the identification of the perpetrator of the supposed seizure/abduction, it being that the deponent is no exception.
--- He did, on 11 June 2007, about 20h45, when seated outside the "Café - Pastelaria Estrela Brilhante" [Shining Star café/tea room] situated in front of his residence, namely, Estrada de Mem Martins, see, coming from the lower part of that road, more specifically arriving from the area of "Restaurant Casa Maceira", a male individual accompanied on foot by a young girl of tender age, notoriously [notably?] minor [young].
--- Those personages [people] succeeded in calling [catching] the attention of the deponent, given that, the girl presented physical characteristics sufficiently identical to those reported in the media in relation to the minor Madeleine McCann.
--- He clarifies that the "Café-Pastelaria Estrela Brilhante" was closed, it being nevertheless
common for the residents of the area to make use of the esplanade [outside seating area] to meet and chat a little, or simply to rest.
--- At the precise moment that those persons passed by the witness the minor looked toward the area where the deponent was, it being that she said in a lively voice the following expression,
"Hello!", maintaining eye-contact with the deponent, notwithstanding that she continued
uninterrupted to accompany the man whom she was with.
--- Subsequently, he saw the man and the girl climb into a black "BMW" vehicle that was parked there, the car having pulled off immediately at a perfectly normal speed heading in the direction of Abrunheira, he not knowing, however, their destination.
--- Promptly and being convinced that it had been the missing minor, the witness went home, giving his account of the events to the authorities, by phone, more specifically, through the international emergency number - 112, there arriving at the place a little later officers of the PSP -
Public Security Police.
--- Immediately he described his observation to those police officers, they having taken note of the occurrence, he not knowing, however, the practical results of any work performed afterwards.
--- Asked to furnish more and better details of the vehicle he could only manage to add that it had been a large car, he not knowing the full model identity. He recalls further that it had darkened windows and a yellow licence plate with the label "NL", which fact he immediately associated with Holland because he knows that those labels indicate the country of registration of vehicles.
--- He adds further that he can affirm with certainty that the designation "NL" indicated that the vehicle was registered in Holland given that he worked in that country for about four years, recollecting perfectly such denomination.
--- Prompted about the number plate or about any other identifying items and/or badges/emblems, he mentioned not having managed to retain [in memory] any other items beyond those already mentioned.
--- Asked what seat the child occupied when she got into the vehicle, he stated not having seen, presuming only as a point of logic that the man whom she was accompanying had occupied the driver's seat.
--- Questioned objectively [directly] if he had heard the child at any time proffer any word or
expression, he responded negatively [shook his head].
--- Confronted with the fact that the PSP report has him mentioning that the minor had said "Help", he responded that that fact does not correspond minimally to the truth, reaffirming that she had uttered no word or expression, adding that that detail could only have come out in the report due to mere confusion [simple misunderstanding].
--- Questioned specifically if he knows from where the persons came he responded negatively having mentioned only the "Restaurant Casa Maceira", only the name, given that that place is in the area from which they came but there were many other restaurants and residences in the same area, it being certain that he became aware of them only when they passed in front of him, that is, in truth he does not know from whence they came, being able only to indicate the direction of the origin, as already done in the course of this questioning.
--- Asked if he had noted if the girl had been forced to accompany the man he responded negatively, adding however that the man had carried a tape-like key chain in his right hand, about 30cm (1 ft) long, it being that the girl had held onto it with her left hand.
--- Asked if the girl had possibly been tied to one of the ends of that key chain, he responded negatively.
--- Prompted if he could furnish more and better characteristics of the key chain, he responded negatively.
--- Asked to describe the minor he stated that she was female, Caucasian, normal build, white skin, about 5 to 6 years old, about 1 (one) metre tall and blonde hair, relatively short and curly.
--- Prompted if he saw the colour of her eyes, or any immutable and distinct mark in them (e.g. a brown mark in the retina of the right eye), he responded negatively.
--- Confronted with the fact that the PSP report mentions that the child he saw had a mark in her eye similar to Madeleine McCann, he responded that such information could only have been due to a simple misunderstanding, it not corresponding even slightly to the truth.
--- Asked to describe the child's clothing he responded that, only from what he recalls, she was wearing something blue but could not describe it.
--- Asked to describe the man who was with the girl he characterised him as being male, about 35 to 40 years old, skin quite brown, about 1,75m tall, thinly built, dark hair cut quite short, not managing to indicate any other details about him.
--- Requested to describe the clothing of the man he mentioned, not recalling completely, presupposing that he was dressed normally.
--- He intends equally to mention for this record that when the man passed him, with the child, the man was talking on the mobile phone, the deponent having the idea that the man expressed himself in a dialect characteristic of Arabic countries, he not being able to identify which.
--- Asked if he managed to hear any word or expression he stated that he heard the words "Abrunheira" and "Classic", immediately associating it to an alternate [?] establishment known as "Classic" which exists in the area of "Abrunheira".
--- But he adds that when the PSP officers arrived he was telling them where to find that place, it being that it was closed given that the events now related happened on a Monday, the weekly rest day for the employees of that house of night-time fun.
--- Asked to continue, he stated that he had not seen in the area around that establishment either the vehicle, or the man or the child.
--- Questioned if before the events observed by him he had already seen the man who was with the child, he responded negatively.
--- Asked objectively if he would recognise the man were he to be shown a photograph of him, or if he were to be in his presence, he responded negatively, adding that he did not pay attention to the man's face being more focused on the child who was with him.
--- Asked if he could indicate any characteristics of the mobile phone that was used, he responded negatively.
--- Asked if he knew of anyone else besides himself who has seen the events he related, he responded again in a negative sense.
--- He explains that what really called his attention to the situation was that fact that the girl had certain characteristics analogous with Madeleine McCann and the fact that she was with a man having features sufficiently different from hers, namely he having the idea that the man could have come from an Arab country.
--- Asked objectively about this, he stated that he had no certainty that the girl seen by him had really been Madeleine McCann.
No more was said. ...
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