26 February 2024 , 20:18
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Madeleine McCann detectives in Germany have new details that could be “vital” about suspect Christian Brueckner, according to a source.
Brueckner, a convicted sex offender, is on trial at a court in Braunschweig relating to a number of alleged sex attacks in Portugal between 2007 and 2017. One of the cases is that of Hazel Behan, an Irish holiday rep who he brutally attacked in June 2004.
The prosecution claims she was so terrified of the monster, who it is alleged tied her legs to table legs before raping her, that she feared he would "cut her head off" when dawn came after the late night attack. The court heard that during the assault it is said he asked her "you are afraid of me aren't you?" before whipping her relentlessly.
Though the court is not dealing with the case of missing Madeleine, police have received fresh information from people following his appearance last week, it is claimed. A source close to the case told The Sun: "New information has been coming in ever since Brueckner appeared in court last week. It’s a massive boost for German detectives because their investigation had really hit a bit of a brick wall.
"So they are really pleased about this, and really hope this will give fresh impetus to the investigation into what happened to Madeleine. They remain convinced Christian Brueckner was either involved in Maddie’s disappearance or knows about how Maddie vanished.
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"Having his face on TV screens, and in newspapers across the world, has generated fresh calls, tip-offs and leads which they will look into and which they hope could prove vital." Brueckner at the time is said to have been living a nomadic lifestyle in Portugal and so police believe he would have come into contact with a lot of people, some of whom have not come forward, said the source.
Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 (PA)Meanwhile, with Brueckner's court appearance last week, his defence team has used the opportunity to decry foul play from the world's media in relation to the case of Madeleine case who disappeared from her family's Praia da Luz holiday home in 2007. And lawyers may have something substantial to derail the current case, with a former employee of Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) claiming she was involved in the process of installing bugging technology into the paedophile's cell. She also says claims she has photographs to prove it, according to T-Online.
She said that two of her colleagues, fellow BKA officers, told her they had a "personal score" to settle with Brueckner. The reason it could be so explosive is that the conversations between Brueckner and his lawyers, which must remain confidential for a fair trial, could have also been tapped.
During his opening statement, defence solicitor Dr Friedrich Fulscher said: "Since June 2020, our client Christian Brueckner has been under constant worldwide media fire. According to the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office, he allegedly abducted and murdered Madeleine Beth McCann.
"The investigating authorities have been repeating this theory to the media like a prayer wheel. The results of the investigation have not yet been presented to the defence, so that the accused has not been able to substantiate this allegation. A comparable media campaign of prejudgement has been sought in vain.
"The greatest challenge for the court in these proceedings will be to free itself from these ulterior motives when investigating the procedural truth and assessing the evidence with regard to the accusations levelled. We are not hearing the best-known missing persons case of the post-war period, but five other serious allegations with numerous legal and factual difficulties for the taking of evidence."