MT quote in the Olive Press article about CB in 2006:
“He was always very smart and snappy in the way he dressed. He always had good shoes and sometimes even wore a suit to go out."
I've wondered a similar thing about everything hitting rock bottom for him in 2007. The loot he had stashed had been stolen. His friends had turned on him. He had no home. No girlfriend. He was living wild, on drugs, with no money and no prospects on the horizon.
There's any number of possibilities of what came next but each of them makes more sense if you factor in a desperation aspect to his situation.
One bit that has got me thinking is this phone call about the 'horrible job' in PDL that will change his life. My previous thought was that the abduction was for his own gratification but if this phonecall is true, it sounds more like something else, which ties in more with his situation. A paid gig. Him being a low-level dispensable "snatcher" for a much bigger outfit. His later comments about her being "dead and that's a good thing" perhaps a reference to what her life would have consisted of otherwise.
I believe "horrible job" was the term he was said to have used, crime wasn't mentioned. And rather than something repulsive, he may have just meant it in the same manner a normal person may describe a job as being horrible (cleaning the toilet, telling someone they are being fired, something very difficult or hard to do etc.).I don’t wish to undermine a testimony but I just don’t believe the thing about “horrible” crime. He would never call it that. He had no moral conscience about children. And he was clearly never going to go into detail about it so it just seems so redundant that he would say that.
This is the sort of thing that deepens my cynicism.
The germans haven't identified anything because this theory has been around for years!
Even given CB was a burglar and a serial sex offender, we still seem to be nowhere on a direct connection to the crime.
This Sunday Times reporter travelled to Braunschweig and spoke to the prosecutor. He said the Germans have identified break-ins committed by CB in PdL and Lagos leading up to MM.
He also said their “working theory” is a tip off from an OC staff member or ex staff member to CB. I can’t tell if German LE directly told him that part or he’s making some assumptions.
19 Jun podcast report Stories of our times | The Times and The Sunday Times
This has affected me tooI read about CB crawling in apartments at 3am and couldn’t sleep for hours, yet I can read about other worse stuff without it rattling me so much.
MT quote in the Olive Press article about CB in 2006:
“He was always very smart and snappy in the way he dressed. He always had good shoes and sometimes even wore a suit to go out."
I've wondered a similar thing about everything hitting rock bottom for him in 2007. The loot he had stashed had been stolen. His friends had turned on him. He had no home. No girlfriend. He was living wild, on drugs, with no money and no prospects on the horizon.
There's any number of possibilities of what came next but each of them makes more sense if you factor in a desperation aspect to his situation.
One bit that has got me thinking is this phone call about the 'horrible job' in PDL that will change his life. My previous thought was that the abduction was for his own gratification but if this phonecall is true, it sounds more like something else, which ties in more with his situation. A paid gig. Him being a low-level dispensable "snatcher" for a much bigger outfit. His later comments about her being "dead and that's a good thing" perhaps a reference to what her life would have consisted of otherwise.
.This Sunday Times reporter travelled to Braunschweig and spoke to the prosecutor. He said the Germans have identified break-ins committed by CB in PdL and Lagos leading up to MM.
He also said their “working theory” is a tip off from an OC staff member or ex staff member to CB. I can’t tell if German LE directly told him that part or he’s making some assumptions.
19 Jun podcast report Stories of our times | The Times and The Sunday Times
You almost wonder if it was intended for someone dubious to see?!.
That is one of the best podcasts I have heard BellMat ... Thank you !!
One very interesting thing that stood out for me was regarding the table reservations .... we have known for a while McCanns & friends had reserved those same tables for 4 evenings in a row , because it was closest to their apartment to check on the kids.
This information (table reservation details) was kept in a "book" for staff to read , nothing unusual there .
However it also said it was so those families could check on the unattended children throughout the evening .... wow . !! .... Talk about "inside information" that would be valuable to an intruder .... wow again .
I figure German police are clever because they speculate CB may have been talking to a "hotel insider" for those 30 minutes letting CB know the routine and best time to enter the apartment.
Also mentioned is the possible difficulty getting the person on the phone to come forward .... because he (she) may be an actual accomplice ... (versus just giving a tip-off to CB)
The money made from the cannabis was over a period of time and several trips by the sounds of it. I think he only made something like £2,000 on the first deal on around £10,000 worth of drugs. Where did he get that outlay of cash in the first place?This would ties in with him turning up in an expensive car months later and his friend being perplexed to how he could afford it.
I'm not sure how much he made from the cannabis deal (I think I read £8000), but his friend (sorry forgot his name), knew about it and still seemed surprised at his new vehicle.
I would think 10k is probably only around 10-15 burglaries on average. I’ve had 2k robbed out my safe on holiday once. If he does that 5 times he’s got his 10k as quick as that.The money made from the cannabis was over a period of time and several trips by the sounds of it. I think he only made something like £2,000 on the first deal on around £10,000 worth of drugs. Where did he get that outlay of cash in the first place?
I believe "horrible job" was the term he was said to have used, crime wasn't mentioned. And rather than something repulsive, he may have just meant it in the same manner a normal person may describe a job as being horrible (cleaning the toilet, telling someone they are being fired, something very difficult or hard to do etc.).
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That is one of the best podcasts I have heard BellMat ... Thank you !!
One very interesting thing that stood out for me was regarding the table reservations .... we have known for a while McCanns & friends had reserved those same tables for 4 evenings in a row , because it was closest to their apartment to check on the kids.
This information (table reservation details) was kept in a "book" for staff to read , nothing unusual there .
However it also said it was so those families could check on the unattended children throughout the evening .... wow . !! .... Talk about "inside information" that would be valuable to an intruder .... wow again .
I figure German police are clever because they speculate CB may have been talking to a "hotel insider" for those 30 minutes letting CB know the routine and best time to enter the apartment.
Also mentioned is the possible difficulty getting the person on the phone to come forward .... because he (she) may be an actual accomplice ... (versus just giving a tip-off to CB)
But why not just tell them directly?You almost wonder if it was intended for someone dubious to see?!
I'm not sure that's true. Payment by card and cash top-ups from ATMs would be more likely. 2007 isn't that long ago.I would think 10k is probably only around 10-15 burglaries on average. I’ve had 2k robbed out my safe on holiday once. If he does that 5 times he’s got his 10k as quick as that.
I would guess families take a lot of cash too, especially if they are self catering etc. It’s not unrealistic to think he would acquire 10k quite easily I would think.
But the call CB had for 30m was from someone outside PDL according to LE, so if he was talking to someone, it couldn't have been someone who was watching the restaurant, could it?
I remember it used to cost a fortune to withdraw cash from atms on holiday. There was definitely fees to pay, maybe not so much these days.I'm not sure that's true. Payment by card and cash top-ups from ATMs would be more likely. 2007 isn't that long ago.
Perhaps an employee who had had an early shift (and therefore knew things) and who spoke to CB from far out of pdl.But the call CB had for 30m was from someone outside PDL according to LE, so if he was talking to someone, it couldn't have been someone who was watching the restaurant, could it?