08 February 2024 , 10:10
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Christian Brueckner hatched a sick plan to kidnap a child in Portugal a week before Madeleine McCann went missing, it is claimed.
The paedophile tried to recruit a pal to help him find a youngster to sell to a childless German couple, a British ex-pat revealed. Ken Ralphs said Brueckner wanted to target a “rich family” in Praia da Luz - the same resort where Madeleine was snatched from in May 2007.
He told Sky News that a pal broke down in tears and revealed he had been asked by the German to assist in the shocking plot. Ralphs, Brueckner and the friend were all part of a nomadic, bohemian community living in off-grid spots in the Algarve in 2007. The Briton, 59, was hiding from gangsters after being inadvertently outed as an informant by police in Manchester.
Recalling his friend’s ‘confession’, he said: “We were sitting around the fire one night after a meal, we had a few beers and during the early hours of the morning my friend began to cry. I asked him what the matter was and, eventually, he confessed to me he was getting involved with Christian to steal a child from Praia da Luz from a rich family.
Madeleine went missing from her hotel room (PA)“I said you can’t get involved in kidnapping a person for ransom, that’s ridiculous. Then he explained - ‘no, it’s not like that’. Christian had a customer, a buyer lined up, a German couple who couldn't have children.”
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Ralphs, a former UK political campaigner, said he successfully convinced his friend not to take part in the plot. A week later he was back in the UK when he saw on the news that Madeleine had vanished from her parents’ holiday apartment. He claimed that within three hours he alerted Cumbria Police about the earlier plot and told them where Brueckner was living.
Ralphs said he returned to the Algarve and found the off-grid spot deserted. He never saw Brueckner or his friend again. Ralphs said Portuguese police told him “don’t worry” and assured him British detectives were working on the lead. He was interviewed by Portuguese detectives in 2020 after again coming forward when Brueckner was named as a suspect.
Farmhouse on the outskirts of Praia da Luzwhere convicted paedophile Christian Brueckner lived (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)The Brit also contacted Scotland Yard and German prosecutors with his claims. German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said the information was passed on to detectives. Brueckner, 47, is standing trial next week accused of carrying out a string of vile sex attacks in Portugal. It will be his first public court appearance since being named the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Brueckner’s lawyer told the BBC that his client is expected to stay largely silent during the trial. Friedrich Fulscher said: “We will see whether the defendant will defend himself in silence or make statements denying individual acts. “At the moment, I do not assume that there will be any substantive submissions.”
Brueckner’s lawyer said that "no negative conclusions" could be drawn from this. The German is currently serving a seven-year prison term for rape and drug trafficking and is due for release in 2026. He denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.