Officers from the Met have reportedly questioned a couple who invited prime suspect Christian Brueckner into their home before Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz
British police have secretly flown to Portugal to question former pals of Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner.
The couple, who took in the convicted sex offender a few months before Madeleine’s disappearance in Praia da Luz in 2007, were questioned over the course of several hours in Faro. Metropolitan Police are said to have flown secretly to Portugal to speak with Elke Piro, 69, and her husband Bernhard, 72, both of whom have known Brueckner for several years.
It comes as the monster was moved to a new location in Germany after serving a seven-year jail sentence for the rape of an elderly American woman in the same town Madeleine disappeared from two years before her disappearance.
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Elke, a German national, is sure that Brueckner “did something bad” to Madeleine, who was just three years old when she was reported missing.
She told The Sun: “The British police interviewed us a few days ago but I’m sad because I wasn’t able to tell them anything I haven’t said before.
“It’s frustrating because I got to know Christian over many years and believe he did something bad to Maddie. My hope now is the police can find a way to bring him to trial in the UK. That would be wonderful. I will be happy to co-operate and testify in court if needed.”
Knowing Brueckner well, she believes he likely stumbled across the sleeping tot while searching her parents’ apartment for money. She said he may have done something “terrible” to the youngster and then “panicked”.
Elke added she wishes the couple had never met the paedo after he opened up to them about his vile criminal history.
Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley previously suggested Brueckner could be extradited to the UK if new evidence about Madeleine is uncovered.
Operation Grange – the Met’s own investigation into the tot’s disappearance – appears to be ramping up after German investigators failed to make charges stick in the 18-year investigation.
The Mirror has reached out to the Met for further comment.
Citing an unnamed source, The Sun said Met detectives were met by their counterparts in the Portuguese Judicial Police before questioning the Piros separately at a police station in Faro as witnesses.
The couple became entangled with the twisted paedo after meeting him in 1995 on the Algarve. They remained in contact all the way up until 2018. It’s not the first time they’ve been interviewed by detectives, with German and Portuguese officers having previously questioned them.
Bernhard described Brueckner as a “classic sociopath” and has spoken of his regret over allowing him to stay with them in Barrocal, their home close to Praia da Luz.
Elke said Brueckner had two personalities. He could be a gentle person and kind at times, but would turn “crazy” and sex-obsessed when he had a drink. She added that he was an alcoholic and often spend the whole day drinking.