Madeleine McCann suspect 'working at tapas bar' when three-year-old disappeared

29 February 2024 , 09:51

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Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007 (Image: PA)

The suspect in the disappearance of Madeine McCann was working at the same Algarve tapas bar where her parents dined nightly when she vanished, it has been claimed.

Christian Brueckner had reportedly worked cash-in-hand at the bar where Kate and Gerry McCann were dining with friends on the night the three-year-old disappeared in May 2007. The 47-year-old is currently facing trial in Germany accused of sex crimes unrelated to the McCann case.

According to a Brit ex-pat, he believed Brueckner was plotting at the time to abduct a young girl and sell her to a couple unable to have children. Ken Ralphs, 59, said he believed Brueckner and his co-conspirator ended up following through with the plan, targeting Madeleine in the bedroom at the resort.

Speaking to the publication, Mr Ralphs said he suspected the criminals "lost their nerves" when it came to selling her after seeing the extensive global coverage of her disappearance. Mr Ralphs said he went to Portuguese and British police at the time with his suspicions.

He claims he has received conflicting accounts from both over whether his claims were investigated. Brueckner, who is currently in prison for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz, was named as a suspect in 2020 by police in Germany who were investigating him.

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Mr Ralphs claimed he was told by a mutual friend of the convict's about a week before Madeleine's disappearance that "Christian was planning to take a child from Praia da Luz". The ex-pat told MailOnline: "He then clarified it was not ransom, but that it was to take a child to sell to a German couple who could not have children of their own.

"He assured me the child would not be harmed,' Mr Ralphs said, adding that he was told by another male "Christian knew many people who will pay good money for a child who cannot give birth, and that the child would be taken from a rich family with more than one child [of their own] so the parents would not grieve as badly."

Land near to a Portuguese home he was known to be living at was searched last year in connection with the case, although this proved inconclusive. Although convicted of other crimes, Brueckner has never been charged in connection with Madeliene's case and denies any involvement in her disappearance.

Susie Beever