Wednesday 1 October 2008

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.

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