Initially, Judith said Jodi came downstairs and said she was going out. She didn't say where, she didn't say who she was going out to meet and Judith didn't say what time Jodi left - only that, when she came downstairs and said she was going out, it was "about 5 o'clock."
Media reports for the first week said Jodi left home "around 5.30pm." Why? I haven't seen any statements from Judith that said Jodi waited around for half an hour, after saying she was going out, before she actually left. But if Jodi only came downstairs at about 5 o'clock to say she was going out, which is more credible - a leaving time of 4.50pm, or two witness sightings of a girl who could have been Jodi, close to her home, at 5.05pm (one of the witnesses knew Jodi by sight)?
What else could have caused the media to misreport by half an hour initially?
Mrs Bryson's original statement, known to police by late afternoon July 1st, was that she made her sighting around 5.45pm
Luke called Jodi's mum's landline twice, just after 5.30pm, to say he'd had dinner and was "out." Statements suggest Mr Ovens believed Jodi had "just left." Judith wasn't alarmed because she'd lost track of time. She didn't realise almost 50 minutes had passed since Jodi "left" at 4.50pm and Luke's second call at 5.40pm (his first call, eight minutes earlier, didn't connect).
The boys on the moped weren't traced until July 5th/6th. Since they were seen by various witnesses at just before 5pm, just after 5pm (on the Newbattle Road, pushing the bike) and their moped was spotted at 5.15pm at the V break in the wall, it's reasonable to suppose the police would have calculated they'd need at least another 15 minutes - maybe more - to push the bike the rest of the way up the path, so they might have seen Jodi on her way down, if she left home at 5.30pm
Can anyone think of any other reasons for the initial reporting of a leaving time of 5.30pm?