GNR Antonio Duarte 16-05-07

1315-1317 Deposition GNR Antonio Duarte 16-05-07 re Abductor Shutter Murat etc
05-Processos Vol V Pages 1315-1317
Witness Deposition: Antonio Henrique da Conceicao Duarte
Date: 2007/05/16
Antonio Henrique da Duarte Conceicao
Occupation: GNR Officer

He has been a GNR office since 1982. He holds the post of sergeant and is currently the Commander of the Lagos GNR Post.

At about 23.10/23.17 he heard from a telephone call from the Patrol Commander, Officer Roque, that there had been a disappearance at the OC resort, P da L.

Roque was on duty that day with Officer Nelson Costa.

He was told that Roque had already gone to main reception of the complex in Rua Direita and had met the father of the little girl who had appeared in the reception with a friend. Together with employee Silvia (service manager of the OC and who also acted as translator, the father (Gerald McCann) and the friend they went inside the apartment from which Madeleine McCann had disappeared. After Roque checked that the child was not in the apartment, he gathered information from the mother and father. He was told by the patrol, that the father had put forward a theory saying that it could have been an abduction. He was also told that there was a shutter that had been 'raised'.

The witness, from the description and supposed seriousness of the facts related, ordered the immediate preservation of the scene, and said he would go to the site and communicate the facts to the PJ (this was done from the Post, he does not remember which officer did this but thinks it was Officer Patricio).

He arrived alone, in his own car at about 23.50 and went to the apartment (to the entrance hall) by means of the front door (opposite the parking area) where he found the girl's parents, a couple and Silvia. He was told that the twins were still sleeping in the bedroom. On the patio next to the front door, was an English woman who had spoken to the patrol, and had referred to having seen someone pass in the street, in a dark area, who was carrying a child. As the information had already been gathered and given his limited knowledge of English, he did not manage to talk to the woman.

At the scene, he talked directly to the patrol and to Silvia who informed him about what had been said. His hope was that the child had left the apartment alone and got lost or that someone had seen her and stayed with her temporarily.

He gave orders to the post so that they would send more officers to the scene, amongst them he remembers Officers Pimentel, Costa, Silva, Santos, Casimiro and Neto. He ordered one officer from the patrol to stay on the scene - Officer Costa. He then contacted the interim commander in Portimao, Lieutenant Bengala. He then went with Roque to several establishments that were still open and also patrolled the zone, in his car and on foot.

He had contact with several people, individually and as groups, obtaining information about the search results. He cannot say whom these people were.

Between 05.30 and 06.00 he went home, returning at 08.00.

He say he does not know Murat, and does not have the notion of having seen him before Friday 4th May at the mobile post installed at Rua Agostinho da Silva.

The first he knew about the existence of Murat was of an active individual who offered his help to translate some information/contacts with people who arrived at the mobile post, also offering to make a bridge with the OC.

He remembers that on a certain day, which he cannot specify, a journalist whom he cannot identify, informed him that amongst the Portuguese and foreign journalists at the scene, suspicion was 'running' about Robert Murat. Together with Officer Sequeira he informed the PJ to transmit this information.

On the following day, in the morning, he remembers that Robert Murat arrived at the mobile post saying that he noticed the journalists's suspicion about him and gave his mobile number and told him that he was going to discuss this with the PJ and that he was going to have 'dinner'.

No more was said. Reads, ratifies and signs.