The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007, has appeared in court in Lehrte, Germany, accused of aggressive behaviour and ‘verbal assaults’ to prison staff
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann 18 years ago has arrived in court, charged with insulting prison guards, which could see his sentence extended.
Convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner, 48, was hauled before judges in Germany after allegedly branding jail staff “a laughing stock”. He snapped at guards in Sehnde prison during a meeting to discuss whether he could be moved from solitary confinement, a court heard. Witnesses said he was “provocative” and accused them of “torturing” him and treating him “inhumanely” during the March 2024 outburst. Under German law it is illegal to insult prison officials.
Lehrte District Court heard Brueckner later penned an apology letter to the guards, saying he “woke up on the wrong side of the bed”. He is no longer being held in solitary confinement as he nears the end of a seven-year sentence for rape.
Brueckner was brought to court in an unmarked prison van shortly after 9am today. Wearing a grey jacket, t-shirt, trousers and black shoes, he appeared more relaxed than in previous court appearances. He spoke only to confirm his name and nationality – leaving all other questions to his lawyer.
Brueckner could face up to another year behind bars after being charged with the new crime. He is currently expected to be released in February next year. Prosecutors investigating the disappearance of Madeleine in 2007 are facing huge amounts of pressure to charge him in relation to the case.
Previously, they admitted that the “clock is ticking” after the 48-year-old was cleared of unrelated sex crimes last year. But if Brueckner is given additional sentences for the new alleged crime, it would give them some breathing space.
Five years ago, in 2020, Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance – around 13 years after the young girl vanished. Police investigating the disappearance made chilling finds at a property owned by Brueckner in 2016.
They found children’s clothing and photographs of youngsters around the same age as Madeleine hidden in a disused factory Brueckner had bought for around £20,000 in 2008 – a year after Madeleine’s disappearance. They also discovered a sat-nav at the property in Neuwegersleben, central Germany, which showed he had spent time at a remote Algarve reservoir which was later searched by dive teams.
The factory caught police’s attention in 2016 after a dog ran into the property and appeared to find a grave. Local police then discovered Brueckner’s dead dog – but they also found a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards.
After checking the contents of the USB sticks, police launched a full investigation into the sex offender’s lair. Brueckner was living in an isolated farmouse in Praia da Luz when Madeleine, then just three-years-old, vanished form her parents’ holiday apartment in May 2007.
Despite the lengthy and intensive police investigation into what happened to little Madeleine, detectives appear no closer to charging Brueckner in relation to the disappearance. Last October, Brueckner was cleared of a string of sex crimes he had been accused of carrying out in Portugal.
Prosecutors in Madeleine’s case are waiting on the outcome of an appeal against those verdicts lodged in Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. Detectives searching for Madeleine were given a huge boost this year when they received a £108,000 grant from the Home Office to help fund their investigation.
This year marked the 18th anniversary of little Madeleine’s disappearance from her family holiday to Praia da Luz in Portugal. To mark the anniversary, Madeleine’s parents, Kate, 57, and Gerry, 56, McCann joined a prayer vigil in their home village of Rothley, Leicestershire.