Enfants Kidnappés 2/10/08: McCann case - Kids Club staff interviews

Enfants Kidnappés

Catriona Treasa Sisile B.'s interview

The interview begins at 6.36pm on May 6th 2007. It is the fifth time that Robert Murat is actively involved as an interpreter in the ongoing process. We will come back later to the first four times.

The informant is heard as a witness. Being of British nationality, she has no command of the Portuguese language in spoken or written form, because of which and because he is present, the person named: ROBERT MURAT residing at Casa Liliana, Ramalhete Road in Praia da Luz, 8600 Lagos, contactable via telephone no: 913...., offered to translate the interview.

In answer to our questions, she responds that she has been in Portugal since March 21st of this year and that this is her first visit to the country. Next, she says that she came to Portugal to work as a play leader, having obtained a contract of employment with the "Mark Warner" company. She states that her contract started on March 21st and ends on November 7th 2007, the date on which she will return to her own country. She points out that the company in question, in its turn, has a contract with the "OCEAN CLUB" tourist village to provide a child care service for parents who are clients of the village. She adds that in the tourist village, this type of child care takes place in four different places according to the ages of the children.

Thus, for children aged four months to one year it is the "Baby Club" which is close to the OCEAN CLUB's main reception. For children aged one to two years, it is the "Toddler" which is next to the "Tapas" restaurant. For children aged three to five years, it is the "Mini Club" which is also close to the Ocean Club's main reception. And finally, for children aged six to nine years and from ten to thirteen years, it is the "Junior Club" which is close to the "Millenium" restaurant.

Concerning the operating hours, there are four separate services.

• Basic service: 9am-12.30pm
• Service two: 2.30-5.30pm
• Service three: 7.30pm-11.30pm

This is a service for dinner time called the "Dining out service." It is next to the Ocean Club's reception.

Service four: 7.30pm-1am

For an extra charge, there is a "Babysitting" service between 7.30pm and 1am provided in the apartments for parents who request it.

The informant mentions that the work of the play leaders is the same in all areas specified above and that all colleagues have similar training. Rotations are scheduled, which means that they change places from week to week, changing the age group they have to work with.

She states that as part of her job she has to work out a weekly plan of activities to develop with the children who are entrusted to them, notably outside, like swimming tennis, the beach...

To our question, she specifies that she is responsible for a group of children, similar in age to the missing minor and that each supervisor has around seven children who stay with the same supervisor for the week.

In continued answer to our questions, she responds that she has known the McCann family since last Sunday, April 29th, when the McCann parents placed their daughter in the "Mini Club". She adds that until Thursday May 3rd, the little girl came every day.

Questioned, she responds that since she has been working with the little girl, it has seemed to her that the parents were attentive to their daughter given that they asked what Madeleine had done in the crèche and that they even accompanied Madeleine a few times in certain outside activities. Concerning the little girl, she states that she was an active and sociable child. Only on the first day was she more reticent with the group.

The informant reports that during the time that Madeleine was entrusted to her care, at certain moments, it seemed to her that the little girl was sad or unhappy without saying anything in particular about being cross, sad or unhappy about whatever it was. She also reports that she was an obedient child who never wandered from the group and who never spoke to strangers.

When asked, the informant responds that it was always the parents who brought Madeleine and fetched her from the "Mini Club."

When questioned, she responds that in the course of her work, on the company's premises and outside (as described above) she has never noticed anyone in particular or suspicious watching the children with whom she was working. She did not notice anyone taking photos of the children and notably of Madeleine. She states that she never heard her colleagues refer to such things either.

The informant states that in the context of the disappearance of the minor, Madeleine, she saw nothing and was not aware of any reason which might explain the disappearance. Finally, the informant advises that in the few years that she has been working in this profession, for the same company, in various countries, she has never heard anyone talk of an event of this kind.

The informant states that since she has been in Portugal, in addition to the British people and her colleagues, she has got to know people outside the tourist company, some of Portuguese nationality but mostly British people whom she associates with when going out at night to enjoy herself. During her evenings out no one has asked her about her work, or about the children, or the McCann family in particular.

After reading in the company of the interpreter, she goes on and signs.

Enfants Kidnappés 1/10/08: McCann case - Kids Club staff interviews

01 octobre 2008

Lindsay Jayne J.'s interview.

We return to our case file. Lindsay J.'s interview took place on May 6th 2007.
This interview is interesting for several reasons. Lindsay J is manager of the KIDS CLUB.

In the matter at hand, it is stated that:

The informant is heard as a witness. In virtue of the fact that the informant is of British nationality and that she has no command of the Portuguese language, the present statement is taken in the presence of Filipa Maria C.S., translator.

The informant has been in Portugal since March 15th, the date on which she started to work for the "Ocean Club" tourist company in Praia da Luz where she supervises the leaders (male and female) of the KIDS CLUB, her contract of employment having been previously signed in London (England)

In the context of her duties which she carries out for the company mentioned, she has had contact on several occasions with a child called Madeleine McCann, observing from a distance. The informant states that the child belonged to the "MiniClub," group in which the children are aged 3 to 5 years.

Questioned in more depth, the informant advises us that the group of children belonging to the "MiniClub" category is supervised by her colleague Amy T. who, in her turn, coordinates a group of leaders composed of Catriona B. and Emma W. Both were on duty in the week of April 29th to May 4th 2007.

The informant informs that the "MiniClub" is subdivided into two classes of children and that Madeleine was entrusted to Catriona B.

The "MiniClub" is open from 9am. A break is scheduled for lunch between 12.30 and 2.30pm when the afternoon session starts until 5.30pm.

Then, from 7.30pm, the Kids Club provides a complementary "dinner" service until 11.30pm. For an additional fee, parents can obtain a "babysitting" service without a fixed time, to be arranged between the parents and the baby-sitter.

The children stay at the centre and get involved with various activities which can be done on the company's premises, appropriate for this purpose, or they can also go outside, notably to the beach but always accompanied by a Kids Club employee.

The informant tells us that on a date which she cannot be precise about but which was some time last week, Madeleine McCann participated in a boat trip, organised by the company's crèche. Several children particpated in this outing to the sea, accompanied by the employees mentioned above and an expert in water activities, whose name she is not aware of.

To our question, the informant states that Madeleine McCann was accompanied by her parents, Kate and Gerald McCann who are renting apartment G5A at the Ocean Club.

She indicates that on May 3rd 2007, at around 10.20pm, she was informed by her colleague Amy T. that Madeleine McCann had disappeared. At that, she immediately launched the "missing child" procedure. This procedure consists of dividing the site into several areas, which are allocated to various of the company's employees to start searching for the missing child. To that effect, the informant explains that, around 10.45pm, the date indicated, the said procedure was begun, dividing the whole site into three distinct areas, namely the north zone, the central zone (including the area of the company) and all the roads surrounding the company and which go as far as the beach. Five of the company's employees were mobilised to coordinate the searches, helped by various people ( other employees, tourists and residents)

Later, not knowing precisely what time, the local police came to the company and, taking into account the procedure which we had set in place, they proceeded with the appropriate actions for this type of situation.

Questioned by us, the informant indicated that the searches by members of the OCEAN CLUB ended at around 4am on the morning of May 4th, without result.

To our question, the informant stated that at the time she was informed of Madeleine McCann's disappearance, she was alone in her residence and that she immediately went out and initiated the procedure described above. To our questions, the informant replies that given that she had no direct contact with the minor in question, Madeleine McCann, being only the supervisor of the company's crèche leaders, as a consequence she does not know the routines of the minor or her parents and that no suspicious situation or any special concern about the child had been reported to her during the time she worked in Portugal.

The informant did not notice any other suspicious or unusual situations which might be related directly or indirectly to Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

After reading in the company of the interpreter, who explains to her, having nothing else to add, she goes on and signs.

http://www.kidnapping.be/maddie/maddie.html

SOS Madeleine McCann 24/04/08: the McCanns and the Ocean Club child-care services.

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/

It seems that since the disappearance of Madeleine McCann there has been some confusion about the child care services available at the Mark Warner Ocean Club in Praia da Luz. We knew that there was an evening crèche, where parents could leave their children while they dined and that there was also a baby-sitting service available at an additional charge, staffed by the nannies who worked in the daytime crèche. The confusion, at least for me, arose because I was sure that the McCanns and their friends had said they organised their own listening service because it was superior to that offered by the Mark Warner company. Perhaps the McCanns meant that it was superior to no service offered, since the MW company has not offered such a service at the Ocean Club.

Today, SOS Maddie journalist Duarte Levy comments on the latest documentary which will be shown on ITV.

24.04.2008
Mark Warner: La petite vengeance des McCann

La référence à Mark Warner dans le nouveau documentaire d’ITV crée par la machine de communication qui entoure Kate et Gerry McCann pour signaler le premier anniversaire de la disparition de Madeleine est vue par plusieurs employés et responsables de l’Océan Club comme une petite vengeance du couple envers ceux qu'au sein de l’unité de Praia da Luz, ont pu coopérer avec la police portugaise.

Mark Warner: the McCanns' little revenge.

The reference to Mark Warner in the new ITV documentary, created by the PR machine that surrounds Kate and Gerry McCann to mark the first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance is seen by several employees and managers of the Ocean Club as a little revenge by the couple towards those within the Praia da Luz unit who could have co-operated with the Portuguese police.

Contactés à Praia da Luz et au Royaume-Uni, plusieurs employés qui ont côtoyée le couple pendant leur séjour dans le complexe touristique, n’ont pas apprécié les prétendues déclarations de la maman de Madeleine pendant le documentaire, révélés aujourd’hui par une "fuite d’information bien ciblé", et ont réagi accusant le couple de connaître, avant même leur arrivée à l’Océan Club, les services mis à disposition pour les enfants.

Contacted in Praia da Luz and in the UK, several employees who dealt with the couple during their stay at the tourist complex, have not appreciated the claims stated by Madeleine's mother during the documentary, revealed today by a "well-targeted information leak," and have reacted, accusing the couple of knowing, before even arriving at the Ocean Club, the services which were available for children.

"Les McCann et leur groupe savaient qu'il n'y avait pas de service d'écoute d'enfants. Même si ce service était disponible, il ne remplace jamais la présence et la surveillance d’un adulte, " conclu un responsable.

"The McCanns and their group knew that there was no child-listening service. Even if this service were available, it never replaces the presence and supervision of an adult," an officer concluded.

"Ils avaient déjà séjournée dans un autre complexe de la Mark Warner et savaient très bien ce qu’est mis à leur disposition, il y à toujours un service de garderie du soir et des baby-sitters," affirme le même responsable soulignant que "les McCann ont toujours refusé ces services".

"They had already stayed at another Mark Warner complex and knew very well what was available, there is always a minding service in the evening and baby-sitters," the same officer affirmed, stressing that, "the McCanns always refused these services."

Alex Woolfall, porte-parole de Mark Warner Ltd, à confirmé que l’Océan Club n’a jamais disposé de ce genre de service et que cette information est même "écrite dans les brochures" de promotion.

Alex Woolfall, spokesperson for Mark Warner Ltd, confirmed that the Ocean Club has never had this kind of service available and that this information is even, "written in the promotion brochures."

Ce que nous offrons, c'est un service de crèche ouvert le soir où les hôtes peuvent laisser leurs enfants et sortir pour aller dîner," à confirmé Alex Woolfall. Le britannique, qui à fait office de porte-parole des McCann, avait été envoyé en urgence à Praia da Luz pour gérer la disparition de Madeleine.

"What we offer is an open crèche service in the evening where the guests can leave their children and go out for dinner," Alex Woolfall confirmed. The British man, who holds the position of the McCann's spokesperson, had been urgently sent to Praia da Luz to manage Madeleine's disappearance.

Alex Woolfall est responsable de la gestion des situations de crise pour le compte du groupe Bell Pottinger. Il a 20 ans d'expérience en relations publiques et est spécialiste dans les cas difficiles de crises réelles. Son travail couvre le sabotage, la contamination accidentelle des produits (de la nourriture aux pharmaceutiques), accidents, blessures et mort sur le lieu de travail, allégations d'homicide involontaire, fraude et vol, l'utilisation du travail illégal d’enfants, enlèvement, rapt et toutes les activités en rapport avec le terroriste.

Alex Woolfall is responsible for the management of crisis situations for the Bell Pottinger group. He has 20 years experience in public relations and is a specialist in difficult cases of real crisis. His work covers sabotage, accidental contamination of products (from food to pharmaceuticals) accidents, injuries and work-place fatalities, allegations of accidental homicide, fraud and theft, illegal trafficking of children, abduction, kidnapping and all activities related to terrorism.

La PJ n’a jamais perdu de vue l’Océan Club et son staff

La société Mark Warner Ltd avait pris la direction de l’Océan Club quelques mois avant la disparition de Madeleine appliquant sur le site les mêmes principes de gestion que fait leur succès auprès d’une clientèle presque exclusivement britannique.

Malheureusement, Madeleine McCann est le deuxième enfant qui disparaît d’un resort appartenant au groupe : il y a quelques années un autre enfant, également britannique, à disparue d’un complexe touristique en Grèce sans jamais avoir été retrouvé.

The PJ has never lost sight of the Ocean Club and its staff.

The company Mark Warner LTD had taken over running of the Ocean Club a few months before Madeleine's disappearance, applying to the site the same principles of management which had made them successful with an almost exclusively British clientèle.

Unfortunately, Madeleine McCann is the second child to disappear from a resort belonging to the group; a few years ago another child, also British, disappeared from a tourist complex in Greece, without ever having been found.

Parmi les innombrables pistes suivis initialement par la police ont trouve celle d’un possible lien entre les deux affaires de disparition mais, après avoir vérifié plusieurs détails, notamment comparée la liste de clients et celle du personnel, force à été de conclure qu’il n’y avait pas de liaison possible.

Amongst the countless leads initially followed by the police, was a possible link between the two cases of disappearance, but after having checked several details, notably comparing the client and staff lists, it was concluded that there was no possible link.

Tout comme l’avait fait l’inspecteur Gonçalo Amaral avant d’être écarté, Paulo Rebelo ne pers pas de vue le staff de l’Océan Club et aujourd’hui, même si toutes les possibilités concernant le resort de Mark Warner avaient été évalués, les révélations de la journaliste Imogen Willcocks, ont amené les investigateurs à vérifier si les responsables de la compagnie à Praia da Luz ont tout dit.

Just as Inspector Goncalo Amaral had done before being dismissed, Paulo Rebelo does not lose sight of the staff of the Ocean Club and now, even if every possibility concerning the Mark Warner resort had been assessed, the revelations of the journalist Imogen Willcocks, have led the investigators to check if the managers of the company in Praia da Luz have told everything.

Willcocks, une jeune journaliste sans aucune expérience en matière d’enfants, à réussi sans aucune difficulté à se faire engager dans la garderie d’enfants d’un resort de la Mark Warner ou elle à du faire face à des situations dignes du pire cauchemar d’un professionnel en sécurité et bien-être d’enfants en bas âge, sans la moindre formation préalable. Une bonne d’enfants de la Mark Warner à avoué à la journaliste que le soir venu, certains parents avaient l’habitude de laisser les enfants au lit laissant au personnel du resort le soin de passer tous les 30 minutes pour vérifier la sécurité, mais cette mesure était inadéquate car ils n’avaient pas la possibilité d’avoir accès à l’intérieur de l’appartement. Selon la journaliste, une gamine de moins de 5 ans avait même réussi à sortir par la fenêtre de sa chambre, ayant été retrouvé plus tard perdue à quelques mètres de la piscine.

Willcocks, a young journalist with no experience in the subject of children, succeeded without any difficulty to get herself engaged in the day-care centre of a Mark Warner resort where she had to face situations worthy of the worst nightmares of a professional in the safety and well-being of very young children, without the minimum of preliminary training. A Mark Warner children's nanny confessed to the journalist that come the evening, sertain parents had the habit of leaving their children in bed, leaving the resort's staff the worry of going round every 30 minutes to check their safety, but that system was inadequate because it was not possible for them to enter the apartments. According to the journalist, a small child under five years old, had even managed to get out through the window of her room, having been found later a few metres from the swimming pool.

Plus récemment, en France, une deuxième journaliste britannique s’est fait engager dans le resort de Mark Warner à La Plagne, en Savoie, afin de vérifier si les consignes de sécurité de la compagnie avaient été affectées par la disparition de Madeleine. Selon la journaliste, rien n’a changé et elle avait même réussi à commencer son travail sans que ses références ou son casier judiciaire soit vérifié.

More recently in France, a second British journalisy got herself engaged in the Mark Warner resort at Las Plagne, in Savoie, inorder to check if the company's security measures had been affected by Madeleine's disappearance. According to the journalist, nothing has changed and she had even succeeded in starting work without her references or her police check being done.

Ont voulait une maman qui pleure, Kate l’a fait

"Je suppose qu’ils ont retenue l’enseignement de leurs erreurs passés, du moins pour ce que touche à leur image, " affirme un expert en communication et médias de l’Université Libre de Bruxelles, pour qui " le public voulait une maman qui pleure, Kate l’a fait. Elle se montre plus proche de l’idée que les gens ont d’une maman qui à perdu un enfant."

Selon le même expert, "la présence des McCann face aux cameras d’ITV fait partie d’une campagne mieux préparé et orchestré. "

A mother who cries was wanted, Kate did.

"I suppose they have learned the lesson of their past mistakes, at least where their image is concerned," states an expert in communication and media at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, for whom, "the public wanted a mother who cries, Kate did. She presents herself as closer to the idea that people have of a mother who has lost a child.

According to the same expert, "the McCanns' presence in front of the ITV cameras is part of a better prepared and orchestrated campaign."

Leur voyage aux Etats-Unis, leur visite au Parlement Européen, le tout mélangé à des déclarations exclusives d’une Kate plus émotionnelle, c’est la suite d’une campagne qui prétend améliorer l’image du couple aux yeux de l’opinion publique," affirme le professeur.

Their trip to the United States, their visit to the European Parliament, all mixed with exclusive statements from a more emotional Kate, is the pursuit of a campaign which claims to improve the couple's image in the eyes of public opinion," states the professor.

ITV, la chaine de télévision britannique, diffuse mercredi prochain, à 20h00, un documentaire de deux heures qui prétend signaler le premier anniversaire de la disparition de Madeleine. Ses parents, Kate et Gerry McCann, toujours arguidos dans l’enquête à la disparition de leur fille, ont été accompagnés par une équipe de télévision pendant leurs voyages, notamment à Bruxelles ou le couple s’est déplacé pour associer leur nom à la présentation d’une déclaration écrite appelant à la création d’un système d’alerte européen pour les cas d’enlèvement d’enfants.

The British television channel ITV, is showing next Wednesday at 8pm, a two-hour documentary which claims to mark the first anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, still arguidos in the enquiry into their daughter's disappearance, have been accompanied by a television team during their travels, notably to Brussels, where the couple went to associate their name with the presentation of a written statement calling for the creation of a European alert systen for cases of child abduction.

Leur unique contribution à été celle d’être présents. Aux organisateurs, la venue des McCann à apporté la présence des médias, qui n’auraient pas fait le déplacement autrement, ce qu’à suscité l’intérêt des autres membres du parlement et du public en général, " affirme encore l’expert soulignant que "même si l’objective des McCann été celui de créer une meilleure image d’eux même, il est important que cette déclaration puisse poursuivre son chemin et que le Parlement adopte une politique plus réaliste en matière de protection de nos enfants".

Their only contribution was that of being present. To the organisers, the McCanns' coming brought the presence of the media, which wouldn't have been there otherwise, which aroused the interest of other members of the parliament and of the general public, "the expert stated, stressing that, "even if the McCanns' objective were that of creating a better image of themselves, it is important that this statement can follow its course and that the Parliament adopts a more realistic agenda on the subject of the protection of our children."

http://sosmaddie.dhblogs.be/