Christian Brueckner RECAP: Madeleine McCann suspect cleared of all rape charges in bombshell trial

Christian Brueckner has been on trial in Germany accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve which are unrelated to the Madeleine McCann case

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has been cleared of all charges in a separate case involving sex attacks.

Brueckner, 47, has been on trial in Germany accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve. The charges are unconnected to the Madeleine case, which the German paedophile denies any involvement in.

Prosecutors called last week for Brueckner to be jailed for 15 years for the alleged crimes in Portugal. But Judge Ute Engemann ruled in July that the evidence against him was "insufficient" - a strong indication he will be acquitted.

The case against Brueckner has relied on the evidence of Helge Busching, who claims to have seen videos of Brueckner raping two women. Busching also allegedly tipped off police about the German paedophile's alleged involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

He alleged Brueckner told him "she didn't scream" when they discussed the infamous case in a Spanish bar. The pair were pals in Praia da Luz in the mid-2000s.

The German is suspected of abducting and killing three-year-old Madeleine in Praia da Luz in May 2007. He is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping an American pensioner in the Portuguese resort. After being cleared Brueckner could be freed next year - which is a nightmare scenario for Madeleine investigators.

As it stands, Brueckner’s sentence will be served on September 17, 2025, factoring in time served before his previous trial. He is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping an American pensioner in the Portuguese resort.

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11:56Tim Hanlon

Christian Brueckner trial involved 'unreliable witnesses' and 'deliberate lies' says judge

A judge said that the court case involving Christian Brueckner involved "unreliable witnesses" and some who "deliberately lied".

The Braunschweig state court acquitted the 47-year-old German national of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse.

But Brueckner will remain in prison another year because he is still serving a seven-year sentence for rape in a different case. Brueckner had been on trial since February over offenses he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Defence lawyers had pointed to what they labeled a lack of evidence and witnesses who weren't credible, and suggested he might not have been charged if he hadn't also been a suspect in the McCann case. Prosecutors had argued he should be given a 15-year prison sentence and kept in preventive detention once he has served it.

"The evidence we had was not enough to convict the defendant," presiding judge Uta Engemann said, according to dpa, adding that "we were dealing with unreliable witnesses, some of whom deliberately lied to the court."

Ms Engemann argued that witnesses had been influenced in their statements by the media's reporting on Brueckner, who she said had been "stylized as a sex monster and child murderer." The verdict can be appealed.

11:37Martin Fricker

Brueckner’s former pal says Madeleine suspect admitted snatching girl

A former prison pal of Christian Brueckner gave evidence during his trial where he claimed the Madeleine McCann suspect confessed to snatching a girl from her Algarve holiday apartment.

Romanian ex-con Laurentiu Codin said the German admitted to a near-identical crime to Madeleine’s abduction when they were on remand together in 2019. “He told me that in Portugal, he had stolen there,” Codin said. “He said there was somewhere with an open window. He was looking for money.

“He said he didn’t find any money but found a kid and took the child. He said that two hours later, there were police and dogs all over the place, so he then went away, out of the area. I am just saying what he told me. He told me that a person was with him, who he had had an argument with, allegedly it was his woman.

“He said he took the child in Portugal in his car, and in the time when the police and dogs were at the house, he drove away and he was gone. He asked me if the DNA from a child can be taken from bones under the ground. I took it seriously.”

11:20Martin Fricker

Hazel Behan tells of rape in Algarve apartment during Brueckner trial

Irish tour rep Hazel Behan moved many in court to tears as she described in harrowing detail how she was raped in her Algarve apartment.

She dramatically looked at Christian Brueckner in court in May and told the judges: “This man is the attacker.” Hazel, from Mullingar, Ireland, described how the attacker’s distinctive blue eyes “bored into my skull” as he brutally raped her at knifepoint.

The 40-year-old was working in an Algarve resort when she was sexually assaulted by a intruder inside her apartment in June 2004. Her rapist was dressed in a pair of black tights, black leotard and mask with only his eyes exposed, she said.

Hazel told the court she will never forget his blues eyes - and said she was certain Brueckner was the rapist. At the end of her evidence, and with him sitting just feet away from her, she said: “I believe this man is the attacker.” Hazel described Brueckner as “very aggressive and hateful” - and said the attack left her with lifelong injuries and PTSD. She told the court how she recognised Brueckner when she saw a photo of him years later.

The mum-of-three alerted Scotland Yard in 2020 after he was named as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s 2007 disappearance. She noticed chilling similarities between the attack on her in Praia da Rocha and a rape he carried out in nearby Praia da Luz in 2005.

11:00Tim Hanlon

Brueckner made 'burglary boasts' to ex-girlfriend before Madeleine's disappearance

Christian Brueckner's ex-girlfriend told the German court he cheated on her and boasted about breaking into Algarve holiday apartments.

Marina Flache, who is nearly 20 years older than the paedophile, said she had a 19-month fling with the German after meeting him in a bar in Lagos in late 2005. She was a regular visitor to his ramshackle farmhouse in the Portuguese resort, where Madeleine vanished in May 2007.

In April, Flache gave evidence in court, as part of Brueckner's sex crime trial, and described him as "very friendly and orderly". "He was very approachable," the travel agent said. "We met in 2005, around October or November. He spoke to me when I was with friends in a bar. He was polite, he had money, he was independent. He worked in restaurants and he painted.

"But at some point, I found out from him that he also financed himself from burglaries. His house was full of rubbish, car parts and various electric things. Everything was lying around. It was just an old house. I was often in the house. I stayed over just once, on New Year's Eve in 2005. I encouraged him to get a job, because he is not a stupid person, he was kind, nice, and approachable. He had little to drink and didn't take any drugs."

Asked by the judge if they had sex, Flache replied: "Yes, in the living room." She later visited him in prison in Portimao while he was serving an eight-month sentence for stealing diesel from lorries. Flache said they split up in March 2007, just six weeks before Madeleine vanished from her parents' holiday apartment in the Algarve resort. "It was clear to me that we were not really a pair, he had met someone, and he introduced me to her, and yeah, that was it," she said.

10:39Tim Hanlon

What does Brueckner's aquittal mean for Madeleine McCann's case?

Detectives appear to be no closer to proving that Christian Brueckner was behind Madeleine McCann's disappearance, despite claiming to have proof that she is dead.

A 'not guilty' verdict now piles pressure on investigators to charge the 47-year-old over Madeleine's abduction and alleged murder.

But without sufficient evidence, it does not make a difference whether Brueckner is behind bars or not. Dean Kingham, consultant solicitor and prison law expert, told the Mirror: "It won't necessarily change anything for the McCann family as the evidential threshold would still need to be met regarding evidence linking him to the crime."

Brueckner was first identified by German investigators in 2020 and two years later, he was made a formal suspect by the Portuguese police. Investigator Hans Christian Wolters said in 2022: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann".

He has stood trial accused of a string of sex offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, unrelated to Maddie's case. He was charged with raping an Irish tour rep, a teenage girl and an elderly woman in her holiday apartment. He also faced a child sex charge for allegedly exposing himself to a German girl on a beach in Salema in 2017 - however, he was cleared of all charges.

10:17Tim Hanlon

Madeleine McCann's parents' heartbreaking marriage struggle as they face fresh agony

It has now been 17 long years since heartbroken parents Kate and Gerry McCann last saw their beloved daughter Madeleine.

Whilst on a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, their eldest, just three at the time, disappeared from their apartment in Pria Da Luz on May 3. In the months and years that have followed, the married couple has fought to see their Maddie, who would now be 20, return home.

To this day, police still can't confirm what happened to their little girl. And now, the prime suspect in her disappearance, convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner, was cleared of all charges at a rape trial in Germany - unrelated to Maddie's disappearance.

Back in the UK, Maddie's parents are still grappling with their enormous loss. In the years since, Kate and Gerry - who met in 1993 in Glasgow and married five years later - have had to find a way to put one foot in front of the other for the sake of their twins, Amelie and Sean, now 18.

Kate and Gerry, who still live in Rothley, Leicestershire, are devout Catholics, however Kate admitted her faith has been put to the test amid the trauma their family has faced. In an extract from her 2011 book, Madeleine, Kate said: "There have been many times when I've felt God has deserted me or that he has let Madeleine down. I've occasionally doubted His existence altogether. And yes, I've been angry with Him...

"For now, though, at least, my anger towards God seems to have subsided. I believe in Him and I still feel His presence." The mum-of-three also stressed she believed "wherever Madeleine is, God is with her". The grief would also test most marriages, but Kate and Gerry have stayed together for 25 years. However, Kate admitted it wasn't easy, explaining that her desire for intimacy "plummeted to zero" after Maddie went missing.

In her memoir, she wrote: "The first was my inability to permit myself any pleasure, whether it be reading a book or making love to my husband. The second stemmed from the revulsion stirred up by my fear that Madeleine had suffered the worst fate we could imagine: falling into the hands of a paedophile."

10:08Tim Hanlon

Madeleine McCann 'tip-off' left by former pal of Brueckner

A Met Police detective shared details of a voicemail about Christian Brueckner left on a Scotland Yard answer machine in May 2017, during the German's latest trial.

Det Con Mark Draycott answered questions in court about the youngster's disappearance. He has worked on Operation Grange since it was launched in 2011.

DC Draycott, 49, told the court that Brueckner's former friend, Helge Busching, who knew him in the Algarve in the mid-2000s, gave officers a tip-off. Busching claimed the German told him during a conversation that "she did not scream" when the pair discussed Maddie.

"Back then we still had a public phone number which was publicised around the world," DC Draycott said. "Members of the public could ring in information in relation to Operation Grange, the Madeleine McCann investigation. One of my jobs was to check the answer phone messages. On May 18, I checked the answer phone and there was a message.

"It was from a male by the sound of his voice, he spoke good English and he asked to speak to David Edgar (private investigator). He said he had information and he left a Greek mobile number. I then rang this Greek mobile number and spoke to a male I now know to be Helge Lars Busching. He referred to himself as Lars and he gave information in relation to the Madeleine McCann investigation."

DC Draycott shared the information with German and Portuguese authorities, sparking the probe into Brueckner. He met with Busching in Athens and questioned him in top secrecy in a hotel - after bugging equipment was brought in to check for listening devices.

"He said he had a conversation with Christian at the Orgiva Festival in 2008. That conversation was in relation to Operation Grange. I can't talk about that," DC Draycott said. Busching later flew to London in February 2018 to give a formal statement to British police.

09:59Tim Hanlon

Brueckner's emails 'linking him' to Madeleine McCann's disappearance

A senior detective said last June that emails were discovered on Brueckner's Hotmail account that linked him to the Madeleine McCann case.

Titus Stampa told the German court he had no clearance to discuss the contents of the emails because it was "related to the killing" of the tot. He referred to it as the "murder" account but refused to say if the emails contained videos or photos.

The detective said cops found a second account where he had swapped sickening child abuse videos with fellow paedophiles. He claimed Brueckner deleted all emails in that Hotmail account from the first half of 2007 - when Madeleine vanished.

Mr Stampa revealed details of Brueckner's email accounts as he gave evidence at Braunschweig regional court in a trial unrelated to Maddie's disappearance. He told the court that he found vile images on a secret email address used by the German. Prosecutors got access to the inbox after making an application to US software giant Microsoft in 2019.

Brueckner opened the Hotmail account in January 2007, just four months before Madeleine vanished in Praia da Luz. He was living in a ramshackle farmhouse on the edge of the popular Portuguese resort at the time. Mr Stamper said the German drifter had attempted to delete "many emails" which he shared with other paedophiles. He said the emails contained "numerous" videos which showed horrific abuse of "three or four-year-old" children.

Brueckner also used the email account to write a vile fantasy about raping a mother and her young daughter, the court heard. "It was a very detailed story about a five-year-old girl and her mother who are kidnapped and taken away in a van," he said.

"It was about violence and brutality and them being abused sexually - one is raped in front of the other." A copy of the sickening fantasy story was found on a laptop Brueckner used in Portugal in 2017, the court heard.

09:44Tim Hanlon

Who is Christian Brueckner? Dark world of paedophile and Madeleine McCann suspect

Christian Bruekner is a convicted paedophile who has been linked to many horrific cases.

In recent years Brueckner has emerged as one of the prime suspects in Madeleine McCann's disappearance but he denies any involvement in the case. On May 3, 2007, three-year-old Maddie vanished during a family holiday in Portugal. Extensive search efforts ensued but parents Kate and Gerry have never been able to track her down.

The Metropolitan Police has spent more than £13million on the case, dubbed Operation Grange, to date. In 2020, German investigators identified Brueckner, and two years later, he was made a formal suspect by Portuguese prosecutors. Investigator Hans Christian Wolters said in May 2022: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann".

Brueckner was born in Germany in 1976 and moved to Portugal in his late teens. It is believed he lived in the country between 1995 and 2007 in a campervan located not far from the holiday resort where Madeleine was abducted. He is described as being around 6ft tall and slim, with short blonde hair.

Before the latest trial Brueckner had more than a dozen previous convictions for burglary, theft and sex offences, including serving an 18-month sentence in Germany for a sex attack on a youth when he was a teen. He is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for raping a US pensioner in the Algarve and drug trafficking.

09:30Martin Fricker

Brueckner could be a free man next year after sex attacks acquittal

Christian Brueckner has been aquitted of sex attacks in his latest trial and could now be a free man next year.

As it stands, Brueckner’s sentence will be served on September 17, 2025, factoring in time served before his previous trial. He is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping an American pensioner in the Portuguese resort.

Prosecutors, defence lawyers and even the judge regularly bickered among themselves over trivial matters during the trial that began last February. He was accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve.

Hearings took place sporadically over eight months, with most finishing before lunchtime. Some days it took longer to pass through court security screening than it did sitting through the evidence.

Officials repeatedly struggled to set up video-links for witnesses to give evidence remotely in Portugal. The prosecution case relied upon the word of a string of ex-cons, including one with previous for lying in court. Other more trustworthy witnesses, most notably Irish tour rep Hazel, insisted Brueckner was guilty.

But prosecutors had no forensic evidence or mobile phone data linking Brueckner to any of the crimes he was accused of. Indeed, they failed to even trace two women he was supposed to have brutally raped in Portugal. There is now a real possibility that Brueckner will walk out of prison a free man in a matter of months.

Publicly, prosecutors insist the investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance continues unhindered. But after covering this trial I have grave doubts Brueckner will ever be charged, let alone convicted of the crime. That must be heartbreaking for Madeleine’s parents.

09:21Martin Fricker

Brueckner acquitted after 'just 10 seconds' by judge

After 31 court days, spread out over nearly eight months, it took Judge Ute Engemann just 10 seconds to clear Christian Brueckner.

The German, who police believe abducted and killed Madeleine McCann, sat stoney-faced as she announced a “full acquittal”.

The jingling sound of a prison officer’s keys signalled his eagerly-anticipated arrival. He walked into court a shadow of the confident drifter remembered by friends in Portugal for his hard-partying antics.

Throughout the trial he wore the same blazer - grey with elbow patches - and sported the same slicked-back haircut. Each morning he shook hands with his three lawyers before sitting at a desk, pen in hand, jotting notes on a piece of paper. He never once showed any emotion as a string of former pals and cellmates gave evidence against him.

Prosecutors called last week for Brueckner to be jailed for 15 years for the alleged crimes in Portugal. But Judge Engemann ruled in July that the evidence against him was "insufficient" - a strong indication that he will be acquitted.

09:10KEY EVENT

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner cleared of all charges at German rape trial

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has been cleared of all charges at his rape trial in Germany.

The 47-year-old has been on trial accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve. The charges are unconnected to the Madeleine case, which the German paedophile denies any involvement in.

09:08Tim Hanlon

Madeleine McCann suspect  is in the 'top league of dangerousness'

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is in the “top league of dangerousness”, a psychiatrist told a court.

The German paedophile is suspected of abducting and killing three-year-old Madeleine in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Dr Christian Riedemann, a leading forensic psychiatrist, said Brueckner remains “extremely dangerous”. He told Braunschweig court that Brueckner’s dangerousness is in the top 1% of over 1,000 other criminals.

Brueckner refused to cooperate with the respected psychiatrist while behind bars, he revealed. Instead he based his conclusions on prison files and evidence heard during the ongoing trial.

If Brueckner is found not guilty, he could be freed from prison in the early part of next year. He is accused of carrying out sickening crimes in the Algarve between 2000 and 2017. They include the alleged rape of Irish tour rep Hazel Behan, who was attacked in her Praia da Rocha apartment in 2004.

08:50Tim Hanlon

What are latest developments in Madeleine McCann's disappearance?

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is currently on trial in Germany for three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children, with claims emerging relating to her disappearance.

Giving evidence his former cellmate Laurentiu Codin told the court that he has 'confessed' to abducting a child in Portugal.

"He told me that in Portugal, he had stolen there," claimed the 50-year-old. "He was in a region where there are hotels and rich people live. He said there was somewhere with an open window, he told me this.

"He was looking for money. He said he didn't find any money but found a kid and took the child. He said that two hours later, there were police and dogs all over the place, so he then went away, out of the area. He said he took the child in Portugal in his car, and in the time when the police and dogs were at the house, he drove away and he was gone. He asked me if the DNA from a child can be taken from bones under the ground."

In June, German senior detective Titus Stampa told the court he had discovered emails on Brueckner's Hotmail account that link him to Madeleine's case. Calling it the 'murder' account, he said he had no clearance to discuss the contents of the emails because it was 'related to the killing'.

And in May, Met Police detective Det Con Mark Draycott shared details at the trial of a voicemail about Brueckner left on a Scotland Yard answer machine in May 2017. The man, Helge Busching, went on to claim the German told him during a conversation that 'she did not scream' when the pair discussed Madeleine.

08:33Tim Hanlon

Is the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance still active?

Madeleine McCann's disappearance is still being investigated by Scotland Yard's Operation Grange.

There are three police officers and one member of police staff who are working on the case on a part-time basis.

In June 2020, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters sensationally claimed police in his country had 'strong' evidence against Christian Brueckner, a serial burglar and sex offender from Germany, in relation to the missing toddler. Two years later, he said: "We are sure he is the murderer of Madeleine McCann".

Brueckner is said to have lived in Praia de Luz at the time of the tot's disappearance and German police claimed to have found evidence related to Madeleine inside his campervan. The criminal, currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping a pensioner in Portugal in 2005, has denied any involvement in the famous missing person's case.

08:21Tim Hanlon

Brueckner entered no plea over current sex charges

Christian Brueckner has not entered a plea into allegations of sex attacks committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Prosecutor Ute Lindemann argued that the defendant should be convicted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, and should be kept in preventive detention after he has served a 15-year sentence. The prosecutor said he should be acquitted of a third count of rape.

The suspect is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005. Brueckner's lawyer said in February that his client would not respond to the charges, but that he expected an acquittal. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system and there is no obligation for defendants to respond.

In July, the court lifted an arrest warrant in the cases at stake in the current trial, citing a lack of "urgent suspicion" against the defendant. However, he has remained behind bars because of the sentence he is currently serving.

Brueckner has not been charged in the McCann case, in which he is under investigation on suspicion of murder. He spent many years in Portugal, including at the resort of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance there in May 2007. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

07:57Tim Hanlon

Brueckner is 'serial rapist' who 'got kick out of victims' suffering' claims prosecutor

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is a dangerous paedophile and serial rapist, a prosecutor said.

Brueckner is on trial in Germany over sex crimes allegedly carried out in the Algarve. The court proceedings are unconnected to Madeleine's disappearance.

The charges against Brueckner include the alleged rape of Irish tour rep Hazel Behan, who was attacked in her Praia da Rocha apartment in 2004. He is also accused of raping a teenage girl in his Praia da Luz home and raping an elderly woman in her holiday apartment.

Andreas Zott, representing Irish victim Ms Behan, said it was clear Brueckner is a serial rapist who attacked multiple women in Portugal. He told Judge Ute Engemann she had heard enough evidence during the course of the trial to convict him of the crimes.

Brueckner faces a child sex charge for allegedly exposing himself to a German girl on a beach in Salema in April 2007 and his final charge relates to an alleged indecent exposure in front of an 11-year-old in 2017. Chief public prosecutor Lindemann told Braunschweig regional court today that Brueckner is a “serial rapist”.

Ms Lindemann said he “got a kick out of the suffering” his victims went through before and after they were attacked. She said: "It’s about the excitement of getting an innocent person and enjoying tormenting and subjugating them. His core fantasies are defenceless female victims. These rapes were all carried out by the one person - the accused." As she spoke, Brueckner - sitting alongside his legal team - stared at the prosecutor while occasionally taking notes.

07:37Tim Hanlon

Christian Brueckner should receive a 15-year prison sentence, say prosecutors

German prosecutors have called for Christian Brueckner to receive a 15-year prison sentence.

The 47-year-old German national is on trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany over offences he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Prosecutor Ute Lindemann argued that the defendant should be convicted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, and should be kept in preventive detention after he has served a 15-year sentence. The prosecutor said he should be acquitted of a third count of rape.

The trial has been running since February and the closing arguments began last Wednesday. Brueckner is also under investigation separately over the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann.

07:19Tim Hanlon

Judge gives strong indication that Brueckner may be acquitted

Christian Brueckner is on trial in Germany accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve and the judge gave a strong indication he may be acquitted.

Judge Ute Engemann ruled in July that the evidence against him was "insufficient". Prosecutors have relied on the evidence of Helge Busching, who claims to have seen videos of Brueckner raping two women.

Busching also tipped off police about the German paedophile's alleged involvement in Madeleine McCann's disappearance. He claimed Brueckner told him "she didn't scream" when they discussed the infamous case in a Spanish bar. The pair were pals in Praia da Luz in the mid-2000s.

06:20Tim Hanlon

Brueckner's lawyer makes bombshell claim at rape trial

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner should never have been charged with vile sex crimes in Portugal, his lawyer argued.

In his closing speech, Brueckner's lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher slammed star witness Helge Busching. He branded him a liar, describing Busching as "a person who lies and tries to make himself look important".

Mr Fuelscher told Braunschweig regional court: "There is no evidence at all which supports what he said." Brueckner sat motionless by his lawyer's side this morning, dressed in the same grey blazer he has worn throughout the eight-month trial. Mr Fuelscher told judges: "This trial should never have taken place.

"If it was any other person, then on the basis of the evidence it would never have come to trial. The day has long passed whereby we lock away people based on them and not their crime."

Prosecutors have relied on the evidence of Busching, who claims to have seen videos of Brueckner raping two women. Busching also tipped off police about the German paedophile's alleged involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.

06:16Tim Hanlon

Madeleine McCann suspect utters first words in court case

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner dramatically uttered his first words in court on Monday as he refused a last chance to defend himself.

Brueckner had remained silent throughout his eight-month trial at Braunschweig regional court but the German pervert finally spoke when given one last chance to defend himself.

Asked by Judge Ute Engemann if there was anything he wanted to say, Brueckner replied softly: "No, I would not like to." The judge will deliver her long-awaited verdict in the case this morning.