Just five hours in May

What really happened to Madeleine Beth McCann?

User Tools

Site Tools


Index of Files

Non-English speaker may get help by Google Website translation. Translate to every language, like Portuguese, German or even Japanese:




js#bj-tango.png navbar


This is an old revision of the document!


Russel O'Brien

Member of the Tapas 7

Dr. Russel James O'Brien was interviewed five times by the PJ. See here links with some extracts regarding evening 3rd May:

04-May-2007 “Until yesterday, May 3rd 2007, he has no knowledge of anything suspicious or strange happening around the group of friends or their children. Everybody seemed normal to him from the cleaning staff, to the gardeners, to the rest of the employees of the complex. Also on the beach, he never noticed anything strange or people who could have been thought of as strange enough to attract his suspicions. Yesterday, as his daughter xxxx was feeling ill, the informant dropped yyyy (his other daughter!) at the Kids Club at around 10am after breakfast. He completely corroborates his partner Jane Tanner's statements for the rest of the day. At around 7.15/7.30pm, the informant went back to his apartment. He read stories to his daughters, including xxxx who was feeling better. His partner, Jane, went to have dinner at the TAPAS restaurant at around 8.30pm and he went there at around 8.45pm. When he arrived at the restaurant, nearly all the adults were present, without children, with the exception of David, Fiona and Diane. They arrived more or less 5 minutes later. At around 9pm, they had all ordered their meals. While they were eating, it was normal that every 15 minutes, one person from each apartment would go to the apartments/bedrooms make sure the children were ok. Yesterday, as xxxx was not well, the interval between checks was reduced. He recalls that Matthew Oldfield left the restaurant at shortly after 9pm to check the children. He is no longer sure who went out first, but five minutes later, Gerry McCann and his own partner, Jane, went out, almost at the same time, to check the children. Jane could have come back first because she found Gerry chatting with a person who is also a guest in the same place, named Jez. He thinks that Jane only checked their apartment, being worried about xxxx. Then Gerry came back at around 9.25/9.30 and they started to eat the first course. [as entradas]. At around 9.35/9.40, taking advantage of the lull [waiting pause] before being served with the first [main] course, the informant left the restaurant with Matthew to check the children. When he got there, his daughter xxxx was crying. He stayed in her bedroom with her. He supposes that Matthew checked his apartment. Matthew returned to the restaurant five minutes after leaving it. His partner came to take his place in xxxx's bedroom around 15 minutes later after finishing dinner. At around 9.55, he went back to the restaurant where his food had been waiting for 5 or 10 minutes. All the other adults had finished. At around 10pm, Kate Healy went out to check her children in her apartment. When she came back, she came towards our table, shouting that Madeleine had disappeared. They all went out, running, and he with a few more people decided to look around the apartment blocks, and in their own apartments, to see if they could find Madeleine. In the personal search that he did following the disappearance he did not manage to identify any suspect item/person/object. When it seemed to them that possibly she didn't have to be in the immediate surrounding area they widened the search area having the same fruitless result. He does not know who called the police…”

11-May-2007 “…He furthers that he did not know if the glass sliding doors were locked or not but that probably Gerry told him on this night to enter his apartment to check on the children. The deponent explains that for him and his spouse, this system was secure and effective and each couple would check on their children every 15/30 minutes. For his part, he guarantees that all the doors and windows were closed and locked, explaining that the windows and the glass sliding doors can only be open and closed via the interior of the apartment. As he understood, only Gerald and Kate used the system of entering through the sliding doors, as this was easier. They stayed in the apartment closest to the pathway and there was a corridor in the back area that gave access to the stairs. The rest of the elements of the group went via the passage-way, until the corner and would enter through their front doors. When the carried out the audio checks, they would position themselves near the windows and would try to hear if noise was coming from inside or crying. - Questioned regarding his routine during the holidays, he confirms in all of his previous declarations and that his version is absolutely in line with his companion's Jane Tanner. ….- Until the past Thursday, 3rd of May 2007, he has no knowledge of any strange/suspicious happenings in the group of friends or with the children. Everything to him seemed normal, from the cleaning staff, gardeners, and the rest of the functionaries of the complex. He also saw no strange people on the beach who looked of a suspicious nature. - Questioned, states that no one from the group used a vehicle, particular or rented and that they went everywhere in Praia da Luz on foot. - He made note of the activities on the 3rd of May p.p.. This note consists of all the facts presented, of his activities and those of the group. They are in accordance with the version already represented by his wife, Jane Tanner. - Regarding the night period, affirms that, on this day, around 19H15/19H30 he went to his apartment. Told his daughters some stories, having stayed with Evie O'Brien, who was a little better but had a hard time sleeping. Meanwhile, his companion Jane went to dinner in the restaurant the Tapas around 20H35/20H40 with the deponent going around 20H45. ….- When he arrived at the restaurant, all the adults were there, without the children. David and Fiona were missing and Dianne Webster. They arrived more or less 10 minutes after. - Around 2100 they ordered dinner. - As was normal, in more or less every 15/30 minutes, one person from each apartment would go to the apartments/rooms to check on the children and if they were well. On that day, as Evie O'Brien was ill, this time was reduced. - He remembers that Matthew Oldfield left the restaurant, around 21H00, having gone to the apartments to ensure that no noise was coming from within. - He is not sure who left first. But has the notion that, about five minutes after, Gerry McCann went to check on his children. Around 5 or 10 minutes after Gerry McCann had left, the deponent's companion, Jane Tanner, also left, to check personally on how her two children were doing. He does remember is Jane or Gerry arrived first but remembers that Jane commented on having passed Gerry on the road, and that he was talking to another guest in the same locale, named Jez. - Around 21h25, taking advantage of a pause in the service of the first plate, the deponent left the restaurant with Matthew Oldfield to check on the children. He arrived at his apartment and immediately heard his daughter Evie crying and stayed in the apartment. He believes that Matthew Oldfield went to his apartment, and is not aware if he was going to also check on the McCann children and went to the deponent's apartment and asked him if he needed help. - Matthew Oldfield returned to the restaurant, having told Jane Tanner that the deponent stayed behind with Evie O'Brien because she was crying. - The truth is that after the crying, the deponent had to change all the sheets and his daughter's clothing as she had vomited. - His companion came to change places with him 15 minutes after and told him to go finish dinner. - Around 21H55, he returned to the restaurant, having stayed there for 5/10 minutes waiting to be served his plate. At this point, all the others had already finished eating. - Around 22H00, Kate Healy left to check on the children in her apartment an returned in desperation, entered the restaurant screaming, in the direction of the table where the group was seated, affirming that Madeleine McCann has disappeared. - All of them left, except Dianne Webster, and the deponent with some other people decided to start looking around the apartment blocks, and in the apartments, to see if they could find Madeleine. - In the searches they carried out, after the disappearance, they did not identify any element/person/or suspicious object. - Because he is asked, states that he cannot describe the state of the children's room after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, because he never entered there. When they were alerted to the situation, they immediately left the table, and the deponent immediately began searching the immediate areas, heading towards the village and the beach zone. - Questioned regarding if he noticed whether the blind to the children's room was up or down, states that he cannot answer because he did not look. He remembers that when he went to check on his children, together with Matthew Oldfield, they were talking and did not look to the windows. - Questioned whether he knows if Matthew Oldfield went, or not, to check on the McCann children, he states that he does not know as he stayed with his daughter Evie Obrien in the apartment, but heard, after, a comment that he [Matt] was supposed to have gone, but that in the checking, he went to the outside of the door to the room, saw the twins, and not Madeleine McCann's bed, which was situated at an angle which did not give him visual contact. - States that he has no suspicion to present, and doe not remember any detail of situation that could be related to the disappearance of little Madeleine McCann….”

16-May-2007 …statement regarding MURAT

11-July-2007 …statement regarding MURAT

10-April-2008