|
GNR 16-05-07 |
|
1335 to 1337 Witness
statement of
Carlos Manuel Carvalho Lacão 2007.05.16 |
|
TRANSLATION BY INES |
|
05-Processos Vol V Pages 1335-1337 |
|
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1335 |
 |
|
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1336 |
 |
|
05_VOLUME_Va_Page_1337 |
 |
Witness Statement
Date: 2007-05-16
Carlos Manuel Carvalho Lacão
Occupation: GNR Officer
He has been a GNR officer since
1988. He holds the post of soldier
and currently works in the Portimao
Territorial Group, working within
the forensics service.
On 4th May he was called at about
01.15 when he was asleep at home,
requesting him to appear at the
Lagos GNR post as a small girl had
disappeared. After arriving at the
GNR post with his colleagues Morais
and two dogs (Numi and Kit), German
Shepherd dogs, which made up the
search team, they immediately left
for P da L. They arrived at about
02.30.
When they arrived at the scene, they
entered the McCann's apartment by
the front door, and entered the
living room, where there were some
PJ officers as well as the MCCann
couple. The just talked to some
colleagues from the PJ and asked for
a piece of clothing that Madeleine
had worn or used recently. They were
given a pink/orange blanket that the
child had been covered with in her
bed.
They began searching with the dogs
from the main entrance to the
apartment, having given the blanket
to his dog Numi to smell and begin
to search.
The route initially taken was from
the front entrance door to the
passageway between Blocks 4 and 5,
along the corridor and then along
the passage that leads past the
entrance to the small reception to
the resort's swimming pool. After
that the whole of the area
surrounding the resort was searched.
With regard to the indications
transmitted by his dog Numi, he says
that at the beginning he was only "a
little interested", he let the dog
"get on with it" .
They finished the searches at about
07.00 AM.
His dog's speciality is patrolling
(Maintenance of Public Order)
although the dog also has some
training in "tracking".
When they entered the apartment they
did not speak to anyone, not wanting
to get in the way of other GNR
officers present. During the
searches they only spoke to the
sergeant, from the Lagos GNR post,
with a GNR officer and with a
security guard who was present, he
does not remember what company he
was from. The conversation was about
whether they had found anything.
He remembers that during a brief
rest period at about 04.00,
Madeleine's mother asked whether
there was any news and whether the
roads had been blocked off.
There were some unknown people
helping in the searches, especially
when they arrived at the resort.
Their number decreased as it got
later. Between 04.00 and 07.00
basically the only people searching
were the witness, his colleague and
another GNR officer.
During this night as well as the
following night, when he repeated
the searches from 23.00 to 08.00 he
did not see anyone suspicious.
He did not see Robert Murat on
either of the nights. He did not
search inside the apartment, just
the verandas and surrounding areas.
No more is said. Reads, ratifies,
signs.
|
|
|
TO HELP KEEP THIS SITE ON LINE
PLEASE CONSIDER |
|
|
|
|
