The stage was set for the play to begin; everyone knew their part and settled comfortably into their role.

There was no time for a dry run, it was ‘ACTION’ when suddenly, onto the set strolled an extra not cast in the play. In the movies, the director would shout ‘CUT’ and the actors would be able to do another take.

Shortly after 9 pm May 3rd, Jez Wilkins, the famous TV Director for his hoax show... had become a major player in the abduction of Madeleine McCann. Later, newspaper headlines would scream ‘Madeleine and the Silent Witness’ the man who would clear the McCanns.

When we look at the police statements, no one has come forward to say they saw any of the group walking around or near any apartments on any other night.

Wilkins, did see Tanner May 3rd, but much earlier in the evening, he remembers she wore a purple dress and was standing outside her apartment. If Tanner saw Wilkins she has never said so.

Tanner I believe did see Wilkins earlier; this would be the reason why she explained her mode of dress... cut off trousers and flip flops...

Gerry McCann was ONLY seen the evening of May 3rd leaving OR returning to his apartment by someone who knew him. The young Irish girl also saw McCann and Wilkins talking together... no one has denied that this meeting did take place.

The problem for McCann is that this messed up his well thought out plan. The timing of Tanner seeing Wilkins, McCann and the abductor all at around 9.15 or 9.20 pm means if, as McCann claims, he had just checked his children and all was well the abduction took all of four minutes and while he and Jez were standing outside the apartment.

This of course is impossible, but McCann needed to explain why he was there to Jez, checking his children and telling him if he had not been with a group they would not have left the children alone, the seed was planted, the children alone left a window of opportunity for an abduction. Wilkins later had a knock on his door not to ask for help but to inform him McCanns child had been abducted.

Tanner gave McCann an alibi by saying she saw him and the abductor at the same time. The Smith Sighting, if anyone later would think they recognized McCann, was now covered.

Now, let’s go back and re-set the stage. Removed from the play Wilkins, the extra, where does this leave us and what do we have?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing, a night like any other, no one saw anything because there was nothing to see.

The plan would have been so simple, the McCanns would have returned to the apartment after dinner and drinks, (drinks paid for by credit cards that they claim not to have had.).... at a much later time, their usual 11.30 or 12.00 pm. The simulated abduction planned to take place at just before 10.00 pm would leave more than ample time to play on “Neglect”.

Instead, we only have a window of four minutes at the most for the abductor to have entered, jemmied shutters, grabbed a sleeping Madeleine without disturbing the twins in their blanketless cots and make his get away.

Had things gone to plan, I believe we would not be sitting here at our keyboards trying to discover what really happened to Maddie. There would have been evidence of a forced entry and anger from the public at the amount of hours the children were left alone BUT leaving a huge opportunity for an ‘abductor’ to have taken a child.

Wilkins foiled the plan and a new idea was whipped up, the tearing of a childs book to write on and fit a timeline, children checking, to match the meet with Wilkins.

Bridget O’Donnell (BOD), the partner of Jez, what is her role in all of this ?