25 November 2023 , 17:09
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One of the key witnesses in the Madeleine McCann case is being investigated for false evidence over damning claims about key suspect Christian Brückner.
Convicted paedophile and rapist Brückner is suspected by German authorities to have abducted and killed three-year-old Madeleine, who disappeared while holidaying in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. Now the probe into Brückner has taken a dramatic turn.
His lawyer Friedrich Fülscher has filed charges, prompting the German investigators to examine whether Helge Büsching gave "unsworn false testimony". The McCann case saw a major lead in 2020 when Brückner was identified as a suspect before being officially named in 2022, with detectives earlier this year seen investigating a site near the Algarve where the German national - currently serving prison time for rape - is known to have spent time.
Bruckner's lawyer Friedrich Fülscher (Grab)Büsching is said to have claimed that Brückner confessed to him about his involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, and has since been a cornerstone of the case. He had initially told authorities about video tapes he allegedly stole from Brückner, showing a range of chilling and sickening crimes. These tapes, said to be hidden in a caravan, have never been found.
Then in a startling twist, Helge B.'s statement changed in January 2023, where he then claimed the tapes were left in a rural property he once occupied. Now Brückner's lawyer Friedrich Fülscher has challenged Helge Büsching's credibility, citing the inconsistencies in his statements.
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Fülscher's aggressive defense strategy includes seeking a suspension of Brückner's rape sentence and a retrial, as he strongly refutes the allegations against his client. Meanwhile, at the public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig, prosecutor Hans-Christian Wolters will have to decide whether Büsching's evidence is still strong and consistent enough to be used against the suspect, Christian Brückner.
Convicted paedophile Christian Bruckner (REX/Shutterstock)
Searches were made earlier this year on the land near a rural property Bruckner once owned (Phil Harris)The development comes amidst reports the German police probe into Brückner is on the brink of collapse. A lack of new leads connecting him to Madeleine's disappearance, as well as Büsching's apparent unwillingness to further help authorities, could mean the possibility of a prosecution is slipping away.
Madeleine's disappearance in May 2007 captured international attention and led detectives down many avenues and dead ends over the next 16 years. The youngster disappeared from the apartment she was staying in with parents Kate and Gerry McCann at the resort's Ocean Club Hotel while they were having dinner with friends.