KATE McCann and three friends discussed child-snatchers hours before daughter Madeleine disappeared, it has emerged.
Dr Russell O'Brien, one of the so-called Tapas Seven, told police of the "haunting" conversation had while on holiday in Portugal last year. He said it came up after another father said he felt awkward photographing his own child.
Dr O'Brien, 37, was with his partner Jane Tanner, 37, Rachel Oldfield, 37, and Kate, 40. He said: "We then had a conversation about the ludicrous pressure on parents that they can't take photos of their children.
"The other aspect of the conversation, which is doubly haunting, was that we said, 'You're far more likely to get clobbered by your uncle or your neighbour than some random stranger'.
"Since this happened ten or 11 hours before Madeleine was abducted, it seemed a very uncomfortable coincidence." The doctor, of Exeter, Devon, made his comments in April as he was quizzed by British cops at the request of the Portuguese authorities.
THE DAILY MAIL reported September, 26th, 2007.
SNIFFER DOGS ‘ FOUND SCENT OF DEATH’ ON MCCANNS FRIEND
Friends of the McCanns faced fresh allegations yesterday after it was claimed that sniffer dogs had found the "scent of death" on one of them.
The same police dog which reacted to Mrs McCann's clothes - first causing suspicion to fall on her - was alleged to have smelled "death" on one of the friends who had dinner with the couple the night Madeleine vanished.
Police sources briefed a Portuguese newspaper that two police dogs from South Yorkshire, trained to detect corpses, human remains and microscopic traces of blood, had reacted to some items of clothing.
Family spokesman Clarence Mitchell denied categorically that any such procedure had happened.
The newspaper did not reveal which of the friends' clothing was meant to have triggered the reaction. Police in South Yorkshire refused to comment.
Detectives are writing to British police asking them to re-interview the seven friends the McCanns dined with on the night Madeleine vanished.
Madeleine's parents were dining in a tapas restaurant just yards from the apartment in the Mark Warner Resort in the Algarve, Portugal, when their daughter disappeared.
She had been sleeping inside the apartment with her brother and sister, twins Sean and Amelie.
According to reports from Portugal, all of those dining with the McCanns that night face further police questioning because their accounts of the night's events allegedly clashed.
Leicestershire police have consistently refused to comment on its role in the investigation and directed all questions to Portugal.
A spokeswoman said: "As the inquiry into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is a Portuguese police investigation it is not appropriate for us to comment on it.
Our role is to assist the Portuguese authorities, when and if they request it, with UK based inquiries.
"But because it is a Portuguese investigation, and because of the judicial system there, we are not able to disclose the nature of those inquires."
The seven friends - who, with the McCanns, make up the Tapas Nine - have been steadfast in their loyalty to Madeleine's family.
The group - most of them doctors and professionals - was made up of:
Dr Russell O'Brien, 36 A consultant in acute medicine at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, he knew Gerry McCann from Leicester.
He was on holiday with his partner Jane Tanner and their two young daughters.
At 9.25pm he left the restaurant for around 25 minutes to check on one of the girls, who was ill.
He has been subject to a vicious Portuguese press campaign alleging he was absent for over an hour when Madeleine went missing.
He has threatened to sue, insisting: "These reports are completely untrue and extremely hurtful."
Jane Tanner, 37
Dr O'Brien's partner. She arrived late at the tapas bar after treating their sick daughter.
On the way, she passed the McCanns' apartment and saw a man carrying a child.
Crucially, her description of the child's clothes matched Madeleine's pink pyjamas.
Dr Matthew Oldfield, 37
Dr Oldfield, an endocrinologist at Kingston Hospital in South-West London, went to check the McCann children at 9 25pm.
But he did not look inside the flat - simply listened from outside to ensure Madeleine and the twins were not crying.
Rachael Oldfield, 36
Dr Oldfield's wife, a former lawyer who is now a recruitment consultant.
She is one of four witnesses who claim to have seen the first suspect, British expat Robert Murat, near the McCanns' flat.
Last month she angrily dismissed reports that police had intercepted phone calls and emails between the McCanns and their friends which contradicted the group's earlier statements.
Mrs Oldfield accused Portuguese police of "throwing mud when we are not able to defend oursleves"
David Payne, 41
Mr Payne is a senior research fellow in cardiovascular sciences at Leicester University
He and his wife and mother-in-law joined the group at 8.55pm.
They are believed to have been the only ones using a baby monitor to check on their two children.
Mr Payne has said: "All these smears and rumours are overshadowing the important thing, which is to get Madeleine back."
Dr Fiona Payne, 34
Mr Payne's wife, she is understood to have told police she saw Mr Murat shortly after Madeleine vanished.
Dr Payne and her husband stayed on in the Algarve to support the McCanns. When the couple were made official suspects, she said: "It's an outrage - a preposterous accusation."
Dianne Webster
Dr Payne's mother. She has given no public interviews.
Dr.Russell O’Brian in Leicestershire the video for his first interview seemed to have ‘Technical failure’.
Russell read Jane Tanners,( his partners) statement to remind him of the events .
(Is it within the law to allow a witness to check anothers statement ? or ,was this to make sure they both agreed ? It seems Leicestershire Constabulary make up their own rules where these Doctors are concerned.)
RUSSELL O’BRIAN "I have been given the opportunity to refresh my memory at the start of the report by Jane Tanner (partner) and it allowed me to see these documents, which have been done in the presence of DC 1578 Gierc," said O 'Brien.
(O'Brien was interviewed twice, on 8 and April 10, 2008, but strangely, his first interview could not be recorded on video because, according to British police, there would be a "technical failure")
The second interview, Russell O'Brien by the officer Andrew Gierc, was recorded on video.
O’BRIANS partner JANE TANNER gave her witness statement to PJ May 4th, 2007
The time 11.30 am
JANE was clear about the type of clothing she saw the ‘abductor’ wearing.
He was wearing linen type cloth trousers, beige to golden in colour, a “duffy” sic type jacket (but not that thick).
Note: Jane does not mention jeans nor long hair.
KATE McCANN
Did not give her statement until 2.20 pm the afternoon of May 4th.
KATE AND JANE WOULD HAVE HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO GET THEIR STORY STRAIGHT
Kate ate and Jane would have had plenty of time to talk about the man she saw and what he was wearing Thus at around 9pm, her husband went to the apartment to make sure the twins, as well as Madeleine, were OK, then he went back to the restaurant.
Her husband said that the children were doing well and that he had bumped into the person with whom he had played tennis, a person who has two children.
At the same time, one of the group of friends, Russell, went to see his children, without checking on the interviewee's children.
Later, a member of the group, Russell's partner Jane, when she went to her apartment to see her children at around 9.15pm, saw from the back [rear] about 50 metres away, on the perimeter road of the club, a long-haired person, in what she thinks were jeans, with a child in his arms and walking very quickly. But she is better able to tell you about that herself.
Kate said ,Jane saw 'a long haired person she thinks with jeans.
Was Kate trying to set up Jane Tanner ? it is a possibilty, person but later changes to his arms not really sure if it was a man or woman.
Kate when she spoke to Yvonne from SS said Madeleine had been taken by a couple. Were at this point all options on the table.
Janes rogatory statement and how important for the officer to know she did not take jeans on holiday.
Reply “Yeah. Erm, I’m just trying to, well I’ve walked out of the, walked out of the, erm, the Tap, you know, walked sort of into the reception of the Tapas Bar and obviously walked up the road.
I remember I was wearing, because it was cold, I’d got Russell’s big, I’d borrowed one of his, erm, fleeces, so I’d got a big sort of fleece, it probably came down to about here, but then I’d got flip-flops on and cropped trousers, because I’d only got, I didn’t take jeans, I know I didn’t take jeans on holiday, and then.
Oh I’m sidetracking a bit, but that’s why I knew one of the pictures in the paper wasn’t from the holiday, because I hadn’t got jeans on the holiday with me, so. Erm, yeah, and I’d got cropped trousers on and just flip-flops, so I can remember sort of walking,I couldn’t walk that quickly because I’d got these silly flip-flops on and I couldn’t walk that, that well in them, so to speak.
Wilkins saw Tanner May 3rd standing outside what he thought was her apartment wearing a purple dress. Did Tanner change her clothes that night and if so why? . There has been talk of Kate changing clothes but it looks like it may have been Tanner.
TANNER from her ROGATORY STATEMENT:
"I remember what I was wearing because it was cold, I'd borrowed one of RUSSELLS'S FLEECES."
"BUT I did not take JEANS with me to PDL:
NEWS OF THE WORLD
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Maddie DNA clue in airport bag
Traces found on fleece and stained jeans
By Dominic Herbert, 03/11/2007
A BAG of clothes containing DNA linked to Madeleine McCann has been found dumped by a road in Portugal.
The white carrier bag was discovered in a layby two weeks ago near Faro airport, the News of the World can reveal.
Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry McCann have learned the bag contained a blue fleece jacket and a pair of adult jeans with traces of DNA that contained "moderate" links to the missing four-year-old.
There was also a SHOWER CURTAIN inside.
News of the find came as it emerged police hunting for the youngster have asked the Mafia to help.
Crime godfathers in Morocco-where there have been several alleged sightings of Maddie-have been told cops will scale back drug busts if they do.
Meanwhile, the bag, found by a passer-by, was sent to a UK lab in Birmingham for forensic tests.
A leaked report showed experts concluded the clothes contained bodily fluid and traces of hair that could have come from Maddie.
Other items recovered from the bag included a white flannel, a green elastic band, a light green child's T-shirt with a green flower on the front and a pink and blue pencil case with a pink heart motif.
A source said: "The bag could be crucial. The DNA isn't an exact match to Maddie's, but it does link.
"It is the first clue found outside the apartment complex and could provide a trail."
The report-which was handed to detectives ten days ago-was obtained by the News of the World from Portuguese police sources.
The jeans contained more than 60 different stains
The report concluded: "The blue fleece and jeans were found to contain traces of congealed skin and hair.
"They were found to contain DNA characteristics that could be attributed to Madeleine McCann." No traces of Maddie's DNA were found on any of the other items.
The fresh clues will give Kate and Gerry, both 39, renewed hope of finding their daughter alive six months after she disappeared. Last night a friend of the McCanns said: "It potentially suggests that someone has taken her then disposed of the clothing.
They have done it near Faro which could imply they have gone in the direction of the airport. It backs up the idea she was abducted."
Last Sunday the News of the World revealed that the crack Spanish detective agency hired by the McCanns, Metodo 3, are convinced the youngster was snatched to order then smuggled from Portugal to Morocco.
Last night it looked like Mafia bosses will agree to use their underworld connections in the hunt for Maddie.
The DNA 'EVIDENCE' was reported November 3rd 2007
We then had this report dated November 11th 2007
DAILY MAIL REPORTED., NOVEMBER 11th 2007
Madeleine: Changes in evidence from Tapas Nine could 'dramatically change investigation'
09 November 2007
Changes in the evidence of two of the so-called Tapas Nine could "dramatically change" the Madeleine McCann investigation, it was claimed yesterday.
The pair who allegedly want to correct their version of events were named yesterday in a Portuguese newspaper as Russell O'Brian and his partner Jane Tanner.
Miss Tanner has given a key account of seeing a man carrying a child away from the McCanns' apartment. Both her and Dr O'Brian deny that they have contacted police to change their statements........
