29 September 2023 , 17:10
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Police told the family of a girl allegedly attacked by Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner : “We will get justice for you.”
Brueckner, 46, is accused of indecently exposing himself to the terrified 11-year-old in an Algarve playground in 2017. Last October, he was charged with that and a string of other sex offences alleged to have taken place in Portugal. But the girl’s family were left heartbroken when the charges were dropped following a court ruling over jurisdiction.
Last week, a higher court in Germany overturned that decision, however, meaning the prosecution can continue. Just weeks before the ruling, detectives had vowed to the schoolgirl’s relatives that they would get justice for her. A friend of the family, who live in Sao Bartolomeu de Messines, Portugal, told the Mirror: “They just want to see him in court.
Brueckner is a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann (PA)"They were very sad when it seemed he would not stand trial because of the legal arguments in Germany. German detectives came to see them in the spring with Portuguese police and said not to worry. The police said justice will be done, they were confident another court would rule in their favour. Now everyone is waiting to see him go to court.”
The girl was sitting on a swing when Brueckner allegedly performed a sex act in front of her. It is one of five offences he is accused of carrying out in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. They include the alleged rapes of an Irish tour rep, a teenage girl and an elderly woman. He is also charged with exposing himself to a girl in April 2007.
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Three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from the resort of Praia da Luz just a month later. Brueckner denies any involvement in the crime.