Revised translation.

Processos Volume II

Pages 279-281

Witness Statement

Pedro Alexandre Gonzaga Ribeiro

Date/Time: 2007/05/06 22H00

Occupation: Waiter and Bar Worker


Place of Work: Millenium Restaurant, OC.

He comes to the process as a witness. He says that he has been an employee of the Milleunium restaurant since 26th March 2007 near to the apartment blocks where the disappearance occurred.

He says that he is a waiter and bar worker and therefore has direct contact with the guests. He works from 07.30 to 15.30 and has Wednesdays and Thursdays off.

He says that the place where he works is mainly frequented by English tourists staying at the resort.

Guests who are not from the resort are also able to use the restaurant. This is only possible in the use of the restaurant and bar, external guests do not have access to the adjacent areas such as the gardens, pool and tennis courts which can only be used by OC guests. These installations can be used from 08.00 to 01.00.

For security reasons and given that the restaurant has a receptionist, the entrance of guests is registered, in order to frequent the adjacent areas cards must be shown, with the individual’s name, apart number and arrival and departure dates.

Given that the day of the disappearance was a Thursday, his day off, he was not at the resort. He says that during the morning he was in Luz, dealing with personal affairs and returned home at about 11.30 – 12.00 He spent the afternoon at home and went out at 17.30 for dinner at his mother’s restaurant in Praia da Luz called “O Marujo”.

After dinner he went to Lagos by public transport as he is doing a secondary school course.

He heard about the disappearance when he arrived for work on Friday morning.

He says that he has no knowledge of any strange events before the disappearance. With regard to the McCann family, he has nothing to say as he had no close contact with them.

He says that they would have breakfast in the morning at the restaurant. He cannot guarantee it, but he thinks they were regular guests at the time in the morning. He cannot say anything about the time after 15.00 when he was off duty.

When asked he says that he has no further information.

No more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs.

Revised translation.

Processos Volume II

Pages 282 - 283


Witness Statement

Alice Maria Velhuco Ciriaco Guerreiro Silvestre

Date/Time: 2007/05/06 22H00

Occupation: Restaurant Employee

Place of Work: Millenium Restaurant


She comes to the process as a witness. She says that she has worked as a waitress in the Millenium Restaurant since the 12th April 2007.

The restaurant is used by guests staying at the resort, mainly for breakfast and dinner.

When asked, she says she remembers the McCann family as they often used the restaurant where she worked although she adds that she never had a conversation with them.

When asked about the relationship between the McCann couple and their children she says that she does not know and did not pay attention.

She says that at no moment did she see anything suspicious.

She knows about the facts being investigated through her boyfriend Nelson Rodrigues who works as a barman at the OC and who phoned her at about 23.00/23.30 on 3rd May telling her that he would be home late as a girl was missing and he was helping to look for her. Her boyfriend arrived home at 04.00 the following day.

She says that after this she heard about the case on the news.

No more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs.

Revised translation.

Processos Volume II
Pages 284 - 286

Witness Statement

Ana Marilia do Carmo Silva

Date/Time: 2007/05/06 22H05

Occupation: Hotel Worker

Place of Work: Millenium Restaurant, OC.

She comes to the process as a witness given her occupation as hotel worker in the Millenium restaurant. She has worked there for about one year, although she adds that she has also worked there on previous occasions.

The witness says she knows that a British girl recently disappeared and who had been staying in one of various apartments belonging to the hotel group, with her direct family members (her parents). She heard about the disappearance that took place on 3rd May the following morning when she arrived at work. She says that she was told by a colleague, whose name she does not remember.

She cannot say anything that would help clarify the events as she heard about the disappearance in an indirect way.
She says that the child and her parents frequented the restaurant where they would have breakfast.
When asked, she says that she can not remember the date when they first began to frequent the restaurant.
However she is certain that they frequented the restaurant from the beginning of the week.

She does not know whether they consumed other meals at the restaurant given her working hours.

She can only say that the family appeared normal and affectionate. She never had any contact with the child or her family in other places and the only contact she had with them was professional.

When asked if she had seen the child or family to be involved in any anomalies she responded negatively.

She never saw any strange behaviour by anyone and does not know of any similar occurrences in Praia da Luz and that crimes are not frequent in this area.

No more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs.

Revised translation.

Processos Volume II

Pages 331 - 333

Witness Statement

Vitor Manuel dos Santos

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H00

Occupation: Head of Accommodation

Place of Work: Ocean Club


He comes to the process as a witness. He has worked as Head of Accommodation at the resort for seven years, but has been employed there for the past 18 years.

His functions are the management of bookings and the control of contracts whether with private individuals or travel agencies. He is responsible for the management and supervision of the reception.

As concerns the facts being investigated, he says he received the McCann booking as normal and he points out that this reservation was made by Mark Warner, whose representative is John Hill.

He says that it is normal for each reservation to make specifications and that in this case in concrete a request was made that the four families should be accommodated close to each other and a ground floor apartment was requested enabling easy access for the families with small children.

He adds that this family booked from 28th April to 5th May on a half board basis, in other words, breakfast and dinner. For dinner the guests could choose between two options, the Tapas and the Millenium and although the meals are identical, the clients choose the restaurant according to its proximity to their accommodation.

In this case in concrete, the rational choice for dinner would be the Tapas restaurant as it is 100 metres distance from the apartment, whilst the Millenium is situated 600 metres away.

The witness states that from the restaurant it is possible to see the apartment including the window of the living room and the bedroom where the parents slept. The bedroom where the three children slept, situated at the opposite end of the apartment was completely outside of the field of sight of anyone in the Tapas restaurant.

Therefore the most viable solution would be to leave the children in the parents bedroom or in the living room where they could easily be checked from the place where the parents were dining.

When questioned about the availability of a baby sitting service from 19.30 to 23.30 he confirms that this service exists and that it is free.

When asked, the witness replies that he cannot understand why as the service was free, the McCanns did not use it.

When asked, he says that before the disappearance he did not have any contact with the family, they were “just” clients like hundreds of others who stayed at the resort.

With regard to the date of the disappearance on 3rd May 2007, he remembers that at 22.00/22.15 he received a phone call from the reception, from receptionist Helder, who told him that John Hill was extremely agitated as a child had disappeared and that the GNR had been contacted but had not arrived yet. He added (the receptionist) that he had phoned the GNR post several times and that he had been told that they would arrive when they could but that they were investigating a theft in Odiaxere. The receptionist asked the witness whether he should contact the PSP, to which the witness replied no as this area belongs to the GNR.

Given the circumstances, the witness thought it best to go to the resort to find out more about the situation.

When he arrived at the scene about 10 to 15 minutes later, he immediately went to the reception where the GNR were present, taking a statement from the girl’s father.

The witness then went to the apartment where there was an agglomeration of persons, however he managed to perceive that the apartment did not show any sign of disturbance not that anyone had attempted to break in.

He adds that he heard it said at the scene that the mother had not left the shutter open as she always closed the shutter when she left. When asked, he says that he did not notice anything strange in relation to the apartment or its surroundings.

The witness states that the resort did not have any kind of security or cameras.

He never saw anything suspicious or abnormal. He was asked to provide a copy of the rooming list, showing the information relating to the booking made by the family, which he immediately provided and which is annexed to the statement.

The witness says that he has nothing else useful to add.

No more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs.

Revised translation.

Processos Volume II

Pages 341- 343


Witness Statement

Jose Duarte Nunes de Oliva Novo


Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H00

Occupation: Account Manager/Accountant

Place of Work: Ocean Club

Since the age of 18, he has worked in the tourist complex known as the Ocean Club, situated at 44 Rua Direita, Praia da Luz, Luz, Lagos, as an accountant. The place of his work is in the reception offices of the complex.

With relation to the events under investigation, the witness 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, Joao Carlos Batista (Head of Maintenance at the resort) standing next to his house, who told him what had happened. Joao told him that a child staying at the tourist complex had disappeared.
He assumed that there was nothing unusual about the disappearance and that the child would appear shortly and re-entered his home where he remained until 08H00 the following day (04 May 2007).

On that day (04 May 2007), at around 08H00, the witness’ superior (George Robin Crossland) went to his home, asking him to compose a “document” in Portuguese informing of the disappearance of the female child from the resort, for distribution to the nearby population.
It was only at this moment that the witness understood the gravity of the situation, having been informed that the missing child had not been found since 22H00 the following day (03 May 2007). This child was female, her name was Madeleine, she was three years of age, of British nationality, and was staying, together with her parents and siblings, in an apartment block 5 (Water Side Gardens) at the Ocean Club establishment.

The witness immediately proceeded to do what had been requested, having gone to his place of work, where he produced the “document” translated from a missive, written in English that had been handed to him by George Crossland.

The witness did not know the child in question or the rest of her family or group and only saw Madeleine and her family after the disappearance in the media.

On the day of the disappearance, he worked according to his normal routine and arrived at his office at about 09H30, had lunch at around 13H00 and returned at 14H30 remaining at work until 18H00. Afterwards, he went to Portimao in his car, where he took his mother for an appointment at Alvor Hospital. He returned home alone at about 21H30, after having dined in Alvor and remained at home until the following day.

With regard to the events under investigation he only knows of the events from what he has heard from the media and from conversations with his colleagues. He has nothing else to add different to what has already been stated, what has already been recorded, the child was on holiday with her parents and siblings.

He is not aware of any suspicious activity, whether directly or indirectly related that could help the investigation.

No more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs.

Processos

Volume II

Pages 344 - 345


Maria Da Graca Guerreiro Alao Goncalves

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H00
Record (book) Keeper
Portuguese

• Serves as a record (book)-keeper in the Accounting Office of the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz since 1985;
• States that her functions related to all accounting services of the complex, but primarily focus on the payment of accounts;
• Does not have any direct contact with the guests, as when payments are made, they are not made directly to her;
• Does not know Madeleine’s parents, nor the child, as she has already noted, she has no direct contact with guests;
• States that for as long as she has been employed [with the OC], there have been break-ins into the apartment—the most recent of which occurred on April 16, 2007, into an apartment in block 5 L, where a plasma was stolen, credit cards and a mobile telephone from the respective guests;
• The robbery was carried out when the guests had left for dinner shortly after having checked-in and left their baggage in the room;
• She remembers that she was told that no windows or doors were forced and that the guests had left the door locked, but she is not absolutely sure;
• She states that she was never told of any suspects or whether and of those that committed the crime had been identified;
• Is not aware of an strange/suspicious individuals in the interior or exterior of the complex during her entire service to the resort. She adds that she has never been questioned about the type of guests that frequent the resort, but that only some friends have asked her if there was work to be had in the cleaning sector of said establishment;
• On the 3rd of May, 2007, she came to work as normal, at 09H30, left at 13H00, having gone to lunch at home in Lagos and returned at 14H30;
• In this period, she does not remember having seen any individual or vehicle that caught her attention;
• At round 18H30, she left work and went home and again did not see anything out of the ordinary or suspicious in the interior or exterior of the establishment;
• She became aware of the facts the next day, Friday, via a colleague of hers.

Processos

Volume II

Pages 346 - 349


Marina Paula Raposo Baptista Castela

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H10
General Governess
Portuguese

Concerning the issue of the process said:
. That she comes to the process as a witness;
. That she has been an employee of “The Ocean Club” for about 20 years, being actually responsible for the “Department of Hygiene and Comfort” of all the apartments in the tourist complex. She is responsible for the apartments with the exterior areas, pools and communal areas (gardens and others) being the responsibility of other departments;
. In this form, and for a better understanding of the organisation of the tourist complex, whose structure has already been explained;
. The deponent further clarifies that practically all the apartments of the tourist complex and privately owned, and the Ocean Club just manages them. For this reason, the complex works with various travel agencies which contact them to rent apartments with certain features/options made b the clients;
. Concerning the McCann family, she remembers that after reading the booking list for check-ins for the 27th, this family had contracted with the Mark Warner travel agency. This agency informed that tourist complex that for that family they needed a type T2 apartment, as they were a family of 5, not specifying the number of children nor their ages;
. She further adds that the respective travel agency contacted and activated the “CHILD CARE” service. This service is composed of employees of British nationality, who are installed for their length of service in the tourist complex. On the eve of check-in, this service is directed by the administration of the Ocean Club with and end to collecting the key to the respective apartment. Given that this service is related to the travel agency, it is they who give the keys to the guests, and not the “Ocean Club.” This service is who was responsible for the placement of children’s beds in the rooms. The deponent further states that her responsibility is the hygiene of the apartments, not touching the children’s beds, as it is the CHILD CARE service which effects the changing of bed linens of these same beds;
. On these terms, aided by the list which she was given as to the program of cleaning mentioned previously, she remembers that the McCann family, arrived to the apartment on the 28th of April with their check-out date booked for May 05;
. During the stay, as with any other client, the cleaning is carried out on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The collection of rubbish is carried out on Tuesdays and Thursdays with Saturdays being the day were a deeper cleaning is carried out. Referring to block 5 where the McCann family lodged, the person responsible for cleaning there is employee Mara Julia Serafim Da Silva; also being an aid to the preparation of the apartment before check-in for new guests. Before the McCann check-in, Maria Julia had aided Dina Maria Does Reis Rocha as she was more available;
. Before the preparation of the apartment, she was totally unaware that children were booked for that apartment. Only by coincidence, precisely at the moment in which the employees were preparing said apartment, the CHILD CARE elements proceeded to place the children’s beds (cots). It was only at this moment when her department took notice that children would be staying there;

. With the aim of explaining her routine, she states that employees arrived at 10H00 and the deponent takes from a safe in the laundry room, the keys to the apartments where they are scheduled to clean that day, and hands them to the respective employees. At the end of the work-day, shortly after 18H00, they reunite in the laundry-room in order to hand over their respective keys;
. There is a preference to clean those apartments with children guests in the morning, with the rest being reserved for the afternoon;
. She refers that along with her and the clients, the Ocean Club reception and the maintenance department have the apartment keys, with the function of the department to fix various things that the apartment may need;
. States that the entire department finishes work at 18H00, but at that time of the facts were not to be found in the immediate areas. She further adds that during the previous days, she did not notice anything relevant which called her attention, nor any one strange. She also states that the proper characteristics of the Tourist Complex make her constantly come across various people, who are related to, or not related to, the complex, without any control of access;
. In ending, questioned, she refers to her department, which is made up of 28 employees whose names are listed in this act which the deponent has handed over, duly initialled. Of these, 19 are actual staff, with the rest being contracted employees (proceeded by the numbers 88, 86, 87, 89, 71, 92, 100, 60 and 90) only for the periods of major influx (the duration of contract could vary between 7 and 8 months) despite which they have maintained a professional relationship for many years, with the exception of employees proceeded with the numbers 88, 89 and 60 who have gained a contract for the first time, this year with the complex;
. And nothing further was said. She has read the statement, finds it in conformity and signs it;
. The document is duly signed by me, Tony Almeida, an Inspector with this Polícia Judiciária.

Processos

Volume II

Pages 353 - 354


Teofilo Manuel Furtado Castela

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H15
Administrative Services Manager
Portuguese

Concerning the issue of the process said:
. That he comes to the process as a witness;
. That he is en employee of “The Green Trust, Inc.” since 1987, the business which is engaged with the administration of the tourist complex “The Ocean Club”;
. That his work area is in the tourist resort situated on 44 Rua Direita, a local which is 500 meters in distance from the apartment where the English child named Madeleine disappeared;
. Questioned, responded that he became aware of the child’s disappearance on Friday, May 04, in the morning, through communication with his work colleagues, after arriving at his office;
. States that until the date of the disappearance of the minor he had never seen an image of said minor or of her family, parents and brothers, who he only came to recognise with the various disclosures made by social communication organs;
. For this reason believes that he never came across them [McCanns] in the resort, since their arrival, or if he did, he did not pay attention;
. States that in the role of his functions it is not customary to establish contact with the tourists lodged in the resort;
. Questioned as to whether in past times he noted or was aware through communication with colleagues of the resort that a strange person/persons
Were seen around the resort, or asked strange questions about the tourists and children who accompanied them or about the proper installations of the resort, the deponent states that only an employee named Bernardino Silva, told him on Friday, the 04 of May, that the day prior, the date the child went missing, that he saw a strange individual around the resort;
. The deponent does not remember any details of what that employee told him but knows that the same employee was already questioned by the Judicial Police regarding these facts;
. Asking, the deponent states that of all the employees that work in the resort and whom he knows, he had no knowledge that any one of them has criminal or social problems.
. The deponent is not aware of situations where the employees of the resort have brought strange people into the aforementioned place;
. States that only since March of this year, more than 50 new employees were admitted, and does not have any idea regarding these new people;
. Regarding other strange situations that could have happened in the resort, like for example, robberies in the interior of apartments, the deponent states that there have occurred some but that he does not know of any recent situation;
. the deponent states that since the disappearance of Madeleine until today, he has not heard anything which could help clarify the motive for the disappearance, and like this, he has no more information that could help to this end.
. And nothing further was said. Having read the statement, he finds it in conformity and signs it;
. The document is duly signed by me, Luis Miranda, an Inspector with this Polícia Judiciária.

Processos

Volume II

Pages 355 - 356

Silvia Maria Correia Ramos Batista

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 11H20
Maintenance Services Director
Portuguese

Concerning the issue of the process said:
. That she works at the Ocean Club since 03/03/1996, having exercised this time in the function of receptionist—for around one year and a half, Reception Manager—for around three years and since this year to the present date, Director of Maintenance Services;
. That the function of Director of Maintenance and Services she is responsible , in the area of services the hiring of people, and in the area of maintenance is responsible for the admission of employees and for the good functioning of all the machinery that composes the Ocean Club, principally, in the apartments, pools, gardens, fending, etc;
. As concerns the admission of employees, this is done in the traditional way, or is, when the need for an employee is determined in an area, the situation is commented on between the various people responsible and the rest of employees;
. Generally, it is an existing employee or other who indicates that they know of someone, in the majority of cases, resident in Lagos;
. In whatever the case, there is always a labour contract made with the employee, for a minimum of six months, and a file exists of said employee which contains identification details of said person and information regarding previous professional practices;
. An exception is made when a business in contracted to carry out a service and whose business is responsible for the employees, those being in the meanwhile accompanied by that who is responsible for works and maintenance, Mister Joao Carlos Silva Batista;
. She is aware of that which occurred in the Ocean Club resort and is aware of the disappearance of the child, around 22H30 on the 03 of May, 2007, following a telephone call from her Administrator George Robin Crossland;
. She immediately went to the Ocean Club resort, and already there were the GNR, and a search was immediately carried out throughout the resort with e search being carried out by many residents and employees of the Ocean Club;
. That on the date 03/05/07, her workday began at 09H30, having entered in the Ocean Club, through the Club Zone, having walked around the pool area and prior to that the other pools;
. At around 13H00, she went to lunch in Lagos, together with her husband, Mister Joao Carlos Silva Batista, and returned around 14H30;
. That around 18H00 she left the Ocean Club resort, having returned to the same, as a result of the circumstances already described, at around 23H00;
. That during the day 03/05/07 she did not detect nothing abnormal or different on this day;
. That she also was not told of any abnormal situation which happened;
. That after the happenings and in conversation with the rest of the employees and Ocean Club management, nothing was related to her or commented upon regarding the situation that was abnormal, namely the presence of strange people in the resort;
. That the Ocean Club resort does not have a CCTV system, nor policing of the resort district;
. And nothing further was said. Having read the statement, she finds it in conformity and signs it;
. The document is duly signed by me, Helder Carmo, an Inspector with this Polícia Judiciária.

Processos

Volume II

Pages 357 - 359


Joao Manuel Marreiros Viana

Date/Time: 2007/05/07 12H20
Computer Operator
Portuguese

Concerning the issue of the process said:
. That four about 20 years has worked in the tourist resort known as the Ocean Club, situated at 44 Rua Direita, Praia da Luz, (Luz, Lagos), having exercised his function of computer operator, and his normal office location is in the reception of said establishment (at the address indicated earlier);
. relative to the investigative facts the witness clarifies that on May 04, 2007 (Friday), at around 09H20, he was already at his work location, and was informed by his colleagues that during the previous night (03 May 2007), at approximately 21H30, a child of the feminine sex, three years of age, of British nationality, who has lodged with her parents and siblings in an apartment “water side garden”, block 5, apartment A in the Ocean Club report, had gone missing from the interior of the same;
. Questions, the deponent states that he did not know the missing child not the rest of the family of the same, and only saw Madeleine (her name he got from his colleagues) and her parents and siblings, after the disappearance, in media outlets, who divulged the situation;
. Questioned, the deponent clarifies that on the day of the disappearance of Madeleine, he completed a normal day, that around 09H20 arrived to his office, having interrupted for lunch between 13H00 and 14H30, and returned there where he stayed until 18H30. Following, he left for home, where he stayed until the next day;
. Questioning the deponent, he clarifies that his home, situated on the Municipal Road (direction of Espiche-Luz), House 100 Name, in Calicos da Luz (Lagos), distance from the office around 1500m;
. That after having got home, there he stayed until the next day, with a friend, conforming to what was explained earlier;
. Relative to the facts of the investigation in the present inquiry, the deponent only knows that which he heard from media outlets, and also in conversations with his work colleagues;
. As with the above, he has no useful element regarding the facts of the investigations, nothing more to add with the exception of what has already being written, referring that, conforming to what he was previously told, said child accompanied her parents on holidays in the resort where he works, together with her two siblings of two years of age;
. That he has no knowledge of any type of situation that is considered suspect that could he directly, or indirectly, related with the facts of the investigation in the present case;
. And nothing further was said. Having read the statement, he finds it in conformity and signs it;
. The document is duly signed by me, C. Domingos, an Inspector with this Polícia Judiciária.