Statements from PDL Residents

Processos Vol V


Pages 1328 – 1329


Witness Statement

June Olwyn Wright

Date: 2007 – 05 –16

Occupation: Business woman

Place of Work: “Duque de Holanda” Bar


She comes to the process as a witness. She has lived in P da L for 25 years. She is the owner mentioned above, which she manages with her husband. This establishment is 200 metres away from the apartment block from which Madeleine disappeared.

She has known Robert Murat for several years. She only knows by sight and from greetings exchanged when she has occasionally seen him in the street. She does not have any kind of friendship with him.

She does not know where he lives. She only heard about his house from the news which named him as a suspect in the disappearance of the girl mentioned above.

On the night of the disappearance, 3rd May, she was working in her bar when some employee who she cannot identify (but whom she knows works for Mark Warner) informed them that a girl had disappeared from the OC. The time would have been about 22.15.

That almost half an hour afterwards, the witness joined various other people who were searching for the girl. At about 23.00 she went to the OC reception which is open for 24 hours, situated on Rua Direita, P da L. The she went to the reception next to the Tapas restaurant, where she arrived 10 minutes later. She was in the area for some time, namely near to the apartment Madeleine disappeared from. She says she passed by that spot several times as she made various rounds of the area.

Later she extended her search to the perimeter of P da L but frequently returned to the Tapas Restaurant reception to find out whether there was any news.

She stopped searching for the girl at about 05.00. During the night she did not see Robert Murat. She says she had not seen him for several months, until during the past week (a few days after the disappearance) she saw him once or twice with reporters who were sitting outside the apartment Madeleine disappeared from.

This is the only time she saw him inside the OC zone.

She describes him as a pleasant and easy going individual. She thinks he was a perfectly normal individual.

She says no more. Reads, ratifies and signs with the interpreter.

Processos Vol V

Pages 1330 -1332

Witness Statement

Barend Jan Jacob Weijdom

Date: 2007/05/16

Occupation: Property Manager

Place of Work: P da L


He comes to the process as a witness and of his own will.

He has lived in P da L since 1996.

He heard about the news being investigated on the evening of 3rd May at about 21.30 – 21.40 from P**** B******, a Dutchman and owner of the Atlántico restaurant, who passed by the witness near the Baptista supermarket, in P da L and who asked for his help in searching for Madeleine.

He then went to the place where the events occurred which was at about 21.45 – 21.50. At this time various local people and MW staff were present.

When questioned he said that the police had not yet arrived and that about 5 minutes had passed.

When asked he says that he has known Robert Murat for about 3 or 4 years, making clear that his relation with him is limited to “good morning” and “good evening”.

When questioned he says that he did not see Murat on the night of the events and he makes it clear that if Murat had been at the scene he would have remembered.

He adds that he was not on the scene for much time as he went to search the beach areas.

On that night, the last time he was at the scene was at about 01.00, he did not see Murat at that time either.

On the following morning, 4th May he also participated in some searches and, as in his professional capacity he manages apartment 5E of the OC Garden (in the same block as the apartment from which Madeleine disappeared) he suggested that the authorities should visit that apartment, in case someone had tried to enter it while it was unoccupied.

He went to the apartment with a GNR officer and after a few seconds Robert Murat also entered the apartment without anyone having requested his presence.

The witness says that he found Murat’s presence in the apartment to be strange, adding that after he entered the apartment he gave the witness a “pat on the side” and said “thanks for your collaboration”. During this situation the witness thought that Murat worked for the police. On that morning the witness saw Murat moving around the site a lot and saw him enter and leave the apartment Madeleine disappeared from, without knowing whether he was with anyone there. He said that Murat moved a lot between the authorities and journalists.

When asked, he thinks that on that morning Murat was wearing a yellow shirt and light coloured trousers. The witness cannot be certain but he thinks those were the clothes Murat was wearing.

When asked he adds nothing, except that he found Murat’s behaviour strange and that he did not see him except for this morning other than on the television news.

Reads, ratifies, signs.

Processos Vol V

Pages 1338 - 1339

Witness Statement

Date: 2007 – 05 - 16

Paul Raymond Wright

Occupation: Hotel Owner

Place of Work: “Duque de Holanda” Bar, P da L


He comes to the process as a witness. He does not speak Portuguese and is helped by an interpreter.

He has lived in P da L for 25 years.

He heard about the events being investigated, on the night of 3rd May at about 22.15, from a Mark Warner employee, who went to his restaurant to say that Madeleine had disappeared and to ask for help in looking for her


He arrived at the scene of the events at about 23.45, there were already many people and police officers.

When asked, he says that he knows Robert Murat by sight, for almost eight or ten years.
He did not see Murat on the scene on the night of the events – but remembers seeing him on different occasions.

Nothing more is said. Reads, ratifies, signs