There was not actually a baby sitting service. You had to leave the children in the evening creche I believe (but not certain). The reason why I do not think the fact they left the children and only checked them thirty minutes makes them guilty of Madeleine's disappearence is the fact that this is common. Thousands use listening services that do the exact same thing. If leaving toddlers to be checked every half an hour by a nanny listening outside of the door makes someone a potential child killer or capable of hiding a child's death whilst launching a massive campaign to find her then thousands of people are potential sociopaths. Because if you look at the links I posted a few pages back, you will see that many resprts offer this service, and many people look for resorts that offer them. Also the mccans and their friends left the children like this every night so I do not think that particular dinner party can be a cover-up. Like I said I do not agree with it, and if I had done it and then my child disappeared I would be consumed with guilt and would be hurling abuse at my husband and friends for making me think it was OK. But on the other hand, imagine living with that guilt, no wonder they want to keep telling themselves what they did was OK, it would drive you insane. But just because I would not do something does not mean those that do are sociopaths. I know people who have sent their seven year olds to boarding school and they only get to come up occasional weeends and during the holidays. I do not understand this at all, but I do not think it makes them sociopaths.
Rashamon,
I am fairly certain Smith never said it was Gerry he saw. he said he felt it was a local person, and the person had a Portuguese/spanish look to them. The only oddity was the description was so smiliar to tanner's, but it was forty minutes later (when Gerry can be accounted for by several independent witnesses), but not that far away and in the opposite direction.
My personal take on what happened is this.
An intruder broke into the flat possibly to abuse a child, and maybe accidently killed her, smothered her maybe, paniked and took her from the room. He was seen by Tanner (if she had already died it would explain the odd way witnesses saw him carrying her), then perhaps after phoning someone he knew for advice, or after thinking it through he walked down to where the smiths saw him. Perhaps he had intended to walk down the street paralell to the resort, but saw Gerry and Jeremy talking there, and Tanner walking up so just carried straight on, and then at some point doubled back and walked down the paralell street on the other side which is where the smiths saw him. Maybe he lived near there, or had access to a car or boat near there.
This is all supposition, and I agree there is no hard evidence, and I feel horrible for saying it because I do hope she is alive (and lets face it who would have thought Jaycee lee dugard would still be alive, so there is still hope), but I think it is more realistic than it being a big conspiracy involving at least ten people with no criminal record, some of whom did not even know the mccanns that well (seriously if you were on holiday with a friend of a friend, can you imagine agreeing to cover up a child's death, can you imagine your mother who was also on holiday with you and had just met these people doing the same) and needs the mccanns to have committed other crimes of which there is no evidence in order to have a motive.
I think the main points supporting the intruder theory, apart from evidence against anyone else, are the fact that the flat Madeleine was taken from was the end flat nearest the road, was secluded, and the back window led out onto an empty car park, there had been other cases, in the area, of an intruder breaking into holiday flats and abusing children, both the smiths and tanner saw a man they described in a similar manner, carrying a child who could have fitted madeleines description (and at the time of both sightings Gerry is accounted for), and the tapas bar staff had left a note saying the people in these flats were leaving their children every night and anyone could have seen this note at the desk, and there were known to be at least forty convicted paedophiles living on the algarve. I also think it is possible that the disappearence of yeremi Vargas and Joanna Cipriana could have a bearing. It is rare to have children disappear in these circumstances so a connection should at least be considered. I also wondered if the Casa Pia scandal could be connected. There were abusers that it is believed were never caught, and suddenly their supply of victims ended with the casa pia investiagation, so maybe that influenced someone to kidnap children. Who knows.
