Madeleine McCann investigator slams German prosecutors for their handling of Christian Brueckner
A former investigator for Madeleine McCann has criticized German prosecutors for dismissing claims against the prime suspect in the British girl’s disappearance, saying this undermined Scotland Yard’s investigation.
Christian Brueckner may 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.
The convicted rapist, 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, Brueckner was charged with a number of sex offenses – which allegedly took place in the Algarve where the three-year-old disappeared in 2007 – between 2000 and 2017.
An investigator hired by the missing toddler’s family in 2007 said the court’s decision shows prosecutors have “no hard evidence” against Brueckner.
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
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
told Julian Peribanez The sun: ‘The German prosecutors have been working for almost three years to designate Christian B as the main suspect, but have not brought any criminal charges against him. That means they have no solid evidence against him.
“You can’t say he was Madeleine McCann’s kidnapper and murderer and declare him the prime suspect without bringing charges against him, because it goes against Scotland Yard’s current investigation, as it could stop people’s potential leads.” said the researcher. continued.
He added that he doesn’t understand the rationale behind the court’s decision that it has no jurisdiction, especially since Brueckner is in prison for raping an elderly woman in Portugal in 2005.
“Let’s hope this isn’t a strategy to also put themselves out of the Madeleine McCann case by saying they don’t have jurisdiction — hiding the real truth, which is that they don’t have solid evidence.”
The detective, who has lost ties to the family, said he will continue to work on the case in a personal capacity.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said yesterday that nothing has changed in the toddler’s case and that the decision of the Braunschweig court should be reviewed.
In a statement to MailOnline, Mr. Wolters remained optimistic and insisted nothing would change in the foreseeable future.
The private investigator was hired by Madeleine McCann’s family in 2007 to find new clues in the case
He said: ‘We will continue to investigate the Maddie case and the suspect will remain in custody.
“With regard to the decision of the Braunschweig Regional Court on jurisdiction in the pending proceedings, we will first carefully examine the reasons and then probably have the decision reviewed by the Braunschweig Higher Regional Court.
“We continue to assume that we are responsible for a decision by the Higher Regional Court so that the investigation into the Maddie case continues as planned.
“In our opinion, there is no reason to speculate at this time about the possible responsibility of the Magdeburg public prosecutor’s office for the investigation of the Maddie case and a possible discontinuation of the proceedings.”
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, his lawyer Friedrich 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.”
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.
In the German legal system, upon receipt of an indictment from prosecutors, a court must decide whether a case should be brought to court.
The Braunschweig court said alleged responsibility for the case in the area was based on his last residence before going abroad and then prison.
But that is not true, because the suspect provided evidence of a later residence in the neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt, where he was registered as the owner of a property that he kept after moving abroad.
The court said that as a result of her decision, she has withdrawn a new arrest warrant she had issued against the suspect in November.
It says in a statement that this will not affect the suspect’s serving his current sentence.
It said its decision could be appealed to a higher court in Braunschweig.