EXCLUSIVE: Madeleine McCann investigates bomb as court rules German prosecutors have NO jurisdiction to bring case against suspect Christian Brueckner
- Christian Brueckner may not be prosecuted in Germany for the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann
- Convicted rapist, 45, was named as the man responsible for her kidnapping and murder
Madeleine McCann suspects Christian Brueckner will not face charges in Germany over the British toddler’s disappearance, after a court there ruled that prosecutors had no jurisdiction to bring a case against him.
Convicted rapist Brueckner, 45, was named as the man responsible for Madeleine’s kidnapping and murder after investigators in Germany claimed they had “concrete evidence” she was dead.
Last year he was charged with a number of sex offenses – which allegedly took place in the Algarve where Madeleine disappeared in 2007 – between 2000 and 2017.
Since then, however, prosecutors have made no further progress in bringing charges against Madeleine in the case.
Now his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher has dropped the charges against him after he successfully argued that prosecutors have no jurisdiction over him in Brunswick, Germany, where the case was pending.
Convicted rapist Brueckner, 45, was named as the man responsible for Madeleine’s kidnapping and murder after investigators in Germany claimed they had ‘concrete evidence’ she was dead
It will be a blow to Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry, who had hoped there was light at the end of the tunnel after their daughter’s mysterious disappearance from their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.
Brueckner has protested his innocence in her case in a series of letters to MailOnline insisting prosecutors are “out to get him” and that they have “no evidence” to press charges.
In a statement to MailOnline, Mr. Fulscher said: ‘In its decision of April 19, 2023, the Braunschweig Regional Court declared that it had no jurisdiction over the charges against Christian B. and revoked the arrest warrant against him.
‘During the summary proceedings, the defense already pointed out that the Braunschweig judiciary should not have local jurisdiction.
“For reasons that cannot be understood here, the public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig insisted on its jurisdiction and thus threatened to be overturned by the Federal Court of Justice if opened. This is very doubtful, especially considering that an annulment would require a large number of witnesses (on very incriminating points) to appear before the court again.
“The court’s decision also means that the Braunschweig judiciary is not responsible for the ‘Maddie’ case.”
Brueckner has protested his innocence in her case in a series of letters to MailOnline insisting prosecutors are “out to get him” and that they have “no evidence” to press charges. Pictured: Maddie’s parents Kate and Gerry
The decision means that the arrest warrants for Brueckner in the case will be rejected, but he will not be released from prison where he is serving a seven-year sentence for rape and will not be released until 2026 after a request for parole is rejected.
Brunswick prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told MailOnline: “We have not yet been notified of the court ruling. We do not understand why Mr. Fulscher is in favor, as these statements must be given simultaneously to both sides.
“We are still trying to find out exactly what happened and if it comes out against us, we will appeal or have the case moved to another jurisdiction city in Germany.”