In a letter sent to prison bosses, lead Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner claimed he ‘woke up on the wrong side of bed’ on the day he ‘raged’ against guards during a meeting
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann gave a bizarre excuse for launching into a furious tirade on a prison guard. Convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner was today convicted of insulting prison staff, which is a criminal offence in Germany. Brueckner was sentenced to probation at Lehrte District Court, and told to pay court costs.
If he commits another offence, Brueckner – who is serving the final months of his seven-year sentence for a rape conviction – could face more time behind bars. He is currently scheduled to be released next February, giving German prosecutors less than a year bring a case against him regarding Madeleine McCann’s disappearance before he is free again.
She was three years old when she vanished from a holiday complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.
Today, the court heard that Brueckner had “raged“ at guards in Sehnde prison during a meeting to discuss whether he could be moved from solitary confinement.
He allegedly branded jail staff “a laughing stock“, and claimed he was being “tortured” and treated “inhumanely” during the meeting in March last year.
A female guard told the court Brueckner was “enraged” and told her to “shut your gob” before the meeting was brought to an abrupt end.
In a letter of an apology he later sent to the guards, Brueckner said he “woke up on the wrong side of the bed” on the morning of the incident.
Insulting police officers or public officials, including prison officers, is a criminal offence under German criminal code (the ‘Strafgesetzbuch’, or StGB).
Brueckner, who was named as a suspect in the Madeleine McCann case by German authorities almost five years ago, was convicted in 2019 for the brutal rape of an elderly woman in Portugal.
The harrowing incident in September 2005 took place in Praia da Luz, the same area where Madeleine disappeared.
German prosecutors say phone records also placed him in the area on the evening the three-year-old vanished.
Last week, Madeleine McCann’s family marked the 18th anniversary of her disappearance by remembering her as a “very beautiful and unique person” ahead of what would be her 22nd birthday.
A statement from her parents Kate and Gerry McCann and the family said: “The years appear to be passing even more quickly and whilst we have no significant news to share, our determination to ‘leave no stone unturned’ is unwavering. We will do our utmost to achieve this.”On May 12, Madeleine would have turned 22, and the family said: “No matter how near or far she is, she continues to be right here with us, every day, but especially on her special day.“We continue to ‘celebrate’ her as the very beautiful and unique person she is. We miss her.”