Photo: YouTube
They hope to bring charges soon.
By Alice Kelly — Written on Oct 11, 2021
Christian Brueckner, a prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has responded to claims that he will likely be charged next year.
German prosecutor, Hans Christian Wolter, says investigators are "100 per cent convinced" that Brueckner kidnapped and killed the British three-year-old.
Wolter says investigators still have questions and "want to charge him with the best body of evidence possible" but are hoping to bring a charge in 2022.
However, Brueckner has criticized the claims according to sources who say the criminal's legal team believe police "don’t have a shred of evidence to convict him on or charge him."
The German suspect has been in prison since 2018 for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal.
Over the past several decades, he has also been convicted of multiple charges including child pornography and sex crimes against children.
What is the evidence against Christian Brueckner in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?
In 2020, Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in McCann’s 2007 disappearance from a holiday resort in Portugal. Police had been investigating Brueckner for three years prior.
Police also claim to have “dramatic new evidence” that incriminates Breuckner but have yet to bring charges. Here’s what we know so far about the case against Brueckner.
There is no DNA evidence connecting Christian Brueckner to Madeleine McCann.
The German police team investigating Brueckner have admitted that there is "no body and no DNA" but insist that McCann was murdered.
The prosecutors sent a letter to McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, saying they had proof she was dead last year, a claim disputed by the Metropolitan Police.
Wolter insists undisclosed evidence leaves no other conclusion.
“I can’t tell you on which basis we assume she is dead. But for us, there’s no other possibility. There is no hope she is alive.”
Brueckner lived in the Algarve in 2007.
At the time of McCann’s disappearance, Brueckner was living in a van near a beach in the Portuguese region where the 3-year-old was last seen.
The van was located about 10 miles from the Praia da Luz resort where the McCann family was staying.
Several witnesses reported seeing a blonde-haired man who police believed could be German, Dutch, or Scandanavian near the McCann’s apartment rental in the days leading up to and the night of her disappearance.
Brueckner’s phone was near the McCann’s apartment on the night of Madeleine’s disappearance.
Police say Brueckner’s phone received a call at 7:32 pm on May 3, 2007, while it was in the area the McCann’s were staying. The call lasted 30 minutes and Madeleine was taken by 10 pm that night.
Brueckner also changed the same and country on his car registration the day after Madeleine went missing.
Brueckner allegedly confessed to abducting Madeleine McCann.
The investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance turned to Brueckner after a friend of his claimed the sex offender had confessed to knowing what happened to Madeleine during a conversation in a bar.
The alleged conversation took place while a TV broadcast played a report on the 10-year anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance.
Brueckner denies involvment in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
Brueckner has repeatedly criticized the investigation and maintains his innocence.
Brueckner said German prosecutors Hans Christian Wolters and Ute Lindemann have brought “shame” on the German judicial system and demanded their resignation.
Earlier this year, he reportedly wrote a scathing letter criticizing investigators in the case.
The handwritten letter, believed to be authored in prison by the 44-year-old convicted pedophile, accuses prosecutors of continuing an “unbelievable scandal” by pursuing a “public prejudice campaign” against him.
“Charging someone with a crime is one thing. It is something completely different, namely an unbelievable scandal, when a public prosecutor starts a public prejudicial campaign before proceedings are even opened,” he said.
He also included a drawing of prosecutors at a restaurant ordering “fillet of forensic” which appears to be a jab at their lack of forensic evidence linking Brueckner to the crime.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her Twitter for more.