German authorities are preparing to try Christian Brueckner, the primary suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, on unrelated charges in Portugal. Brueckner is currently imprisoned in Germany for the rape of a woman in the Algarve region of Portugal, the same area where McCann disappeared.
He faces three charges of aggravated rape and two charges of sexual abuse of children between the years 2000 and 2017, including the rape of a woman in her 70s and sexual abuse of a girl under 14. Police have also accused him of raping a young woman in her home in 2004 and recording the incident on video.
Brueckner has not yet entered a plea, and his legal team has not commented publicly on the charges. Two years ago, Portuguese prosecutors identified him as a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, and German authorities have since stated that she is presumed dead, with Brueckner being the likely perpetrator.
Despite these accusations, Brueckner has denied any involvement in McCann’s disappearance and has not been charged in connection with the case. McCann vanished from her bedroom on May 3, 2007, during a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were dining with friends.
The legal proceedings against Brueckner will take place in Brunswick, northern Germany. It is unclear how the outcome of these unrelated charges may affect the ongoing investigation into McCann’s disappearance.
Written by Thomas Escritt, Edited by Alison Williams.
