Madeleine McCann‘s family are facing further heartache as a significant update has been provided on the main suspect in the missing person’s case. Christian Brueckner, currently on trial in Germany, is accused of horrific sex crimes against women and children in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017.
These allegations are not related to Madeleine’s disappearance, who went missing during a family holiday in Praia da Luz in May 2007. However, Brueckner, 47, is currently the prime suspect, with German police finding evidence linked to Madeleine in his campervan.
The German sex offender, who resided in Praia de Luz when the little girl disappeared, is serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping an American pensioner in the Portuguese resort. He denies any involvement in Madeleine’s case, which remains unsolved to this day.
Parents Kate and Gerry have never lost hope of finding their daughter, who was just three years old when she vanished from their Ocean Club apartment. Regrettably, they have had to deal with another devastating setback today.
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Although Brueckner’s trial in Braunschweig was initially expected to conclude in December, it could now end within days. Judge Ute Engemann revealed today that she might announce her verdict in the long-standing case next Tuesday (October 8), meaning the case could be concluded by next week, reports the Mirror.
Judge Engemann has provided an update after being urged to sentence Brueckner to 15 years for the alleged crimes in the Algarve. In July, Judge Engemann ruled that the evidence against Brueckner was ‘insufficient’, hinting at a possible acquittal.
If Brueckner is acquitted, he could be a free man next year – a result that would be catastrophic for the ongoing investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. Despite claims of having proof that she is dead, detectives seem no closer to proving that he was responsible for the toddler’s disappearance.
A ‘not guilty’ verdict would increase pressure to charge Brueckner over Madeleine’s disappearance. It is anticipated that if he is acquitted, prosecutors will appeal to a higher court in Germany.
Brueckner is accused of a series of horrific crimes, including the rape of a teenage girl in his Praia da Luz home and the rape of an elderly woman in her holiday apartment. The defendant, labelled a ‘serial rapist’ by the chief public prosecutor, also faces a child sex charge for allegedly exposing himself to a German girl on a Salema beach in April 2007, while his final charge relates to an alleged incident of indecent exposure in front of an 11 year old in 2017.
Recently, Laurentiu Codin, a former cellmate of Brueckner, gave evidence in court claiming that Brueckner had ‘confessed’ to abducting a child while in Portugal. Codin, aged 50, recounted: “He told me that in Portugal, he had stolen there,” the 50 year old alleged.
“He was in a region where there are hotels and rich people live. He said there was somewhere with an open window, he told me this.”
“He was looking for money. He said he didn’t find any money but found a kid and took the child. He said that two hours later, there were police and dogs all over the place, so he then went away, out of the area. He said he took the child in Portugal in his car, and in the time when the police and dogs were at the house, he drove away and he was gone. He asked me if the DNA from a child can be taken from bones under the ground.”
In June, the court heard from German senior detective Titus Stampa, who discussed emails found on Brueckner’s Hotmail account that allegedly connect him to Madeleine’s disappearance. Stampa referred to it as the ‘murder’ account and stated he couldn’t discuss the emails in detail because they were ‘related to the killing’.
Furthermore, in May, Met Police detective Det Con Mark Draycott revealed information about a voicemail left on a Scotland Yard answer machine in May 2017 regarding Brueckner. The caller, Helge Busching, claimed Brueckner had mentioned that ‘she did not scream’ in a conversation about Madeleine.
When Christian Brueckner was identified as the prime suspect in 2020, Kate and Gerry McCann released a poignant statement saying: “All we have ever wanted is to find her, uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice. We will never give up hope of finding Madeleine alive, but whatever the outcome may be, we need to know as we need to find peace.”
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