This is possibly the source of the MMRG's claim that the couples checked their children "hourly". Yvonne Martin is not an eye-witness to their movements on the evening that Madeleine went missing, but rather a social worker on vacation and a complete stranger who sought out the McCanns the following day and attempted to question them whilst describing them as "visibly upset". A friend of the McCanns (later identified by Yvonne Martin as Dr David Payne) intervened and moved the couple away from her and a journalist after she, by her own admission, tried to separate Kate McCann from the group.
Yvonne Martin proceeded to send an anonymous letter to police saying that:-
Quote:
"regarding the various details she observed during her contact with the McCanns it is her opinion that they could be in some way involved in the disappearance of Madeleine." |
This is her statement which was translated into Portuguese by Carlos Moura and translated back into English by Internet forum poster Annaesse:-
Quote:
Processos Volume XIII Pages 3425 - 3428 Witness Statement Date: 2007.06.13 Time: 12H00 Name: YVONE WARREN MARTIN
The witness is accompanied by a PJ interpreter, Carlos Moura, as she does not speak Portuguese.
During the past month of May or more precisely on the 04th of May 2007, the witness was in Portugal, enjoying holidays, when at about 07H00 she turned on the television and watched an English news channel (BBC or SKY NEWS) where she saw an appeal to British citizens on holiday in the Algarve to offer all possible support to a British couple who were on holiday in Praia da Luz and whose daughter, a child, had disappeared on May 03, 2007.
As she works directly with situations of children at risk, and as she was very close to Praia da Luz, she went there with the intention of offering her help and support to the couple, she arrived there at about 09H30.
She clarifies that she did not leave immediately for Praia da Luz as she still had some things to do at home but left at around 09H00.
At first, she could not locate the exact site where the family was staying on holiday. Upon seeing a police patrol car which passed close by her, she asked the police if they could show her the right location. She was accompanied by the patrol car to the apartment from where the child had disappeared and wherethe parents were staying.
At the scene, she found a group of three people, two males and one female.
She went over to the group and identified herself.
The couple was visibly upset, and the mother was crying intensely.
The third person never identified himself, upon the witness’s insistence the couple replied that he was a close friend of the family. She adds that this third person appeared familiar to her.
Taking advantage of the information that she had heard on the news, she began questioning the couple about how often they had checked on the children, obtaining the reply that people would go to see them every hour.
As is normal and routine in her service, she asked whether Gerry was the biological father of the missing child, to which he replied yes. She clarifies that she asked this question because during the course of her 25 years of service working with children at risk, it is very normal that when a couple has child and where the father or the mother is not a biological parent, the biological parent may have a tendency to come and “get” his child.
At this moment, the witness notices that the couple began to have doubts about her capacity and she immediately showed them her official documents and credentials issued by the British government to calm them down.
Gerry took her documents and showed them to the third person and told him that they were authentic and were certified by the police.
At this moment, the witness wishes to clarify that, in England, anyone who works with children, whether a doctor, police officer or social worker, has to have a proper credential certified by the police and that this was one of the documents she showed to the McCanns.
Because she found it strange that Kate told her that her daughter had been taken by a couple, she tried to separate her from the other two individuals so that she could speak to her with more privacy, suggesting to Kate that they (Y and K) should enter the apartment, Kate aggressively rejected this idea and told her that they could speak on the street.
Meanwhile a fourth individual came towards the group and identified himself as a journalist. The witness alerted the couple to the type of statements they should give and that it would be better for them to keep silent.
At this moment, the third person, who was always near to the couple and the witness, moved the couple away from her and the three of them talked in whispers for some time.
After this, and leaving the couple behind him, he approached the witness and told her that the couple did not want to speak any more with her, nor with anyone else. |