The Metropolitan Police have announced their intention to push ahead with plans to put Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner on trial in the United Kingdom. Shortly after the news emerged, the 48-year-old convicted rapist issued a chilling response: 'I have good lawyers.'
Met Police Push for Charges
If the Met can convince the Crown Prosecution Service to authorize charges against one of the most high-profile suspects in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, he could face trial in Britain. 'Next year marks 20 years since Madeleine McCann went missing. If the evidence is strong enough to extradite the prime suspect and try him here, that is what we would seek to do,' a Met insider told The Telegraph.
Brueckner's Defiant Response
Brueckner, however, downplayed the announcement, adding: 'I suspect this is just hot air again. Extradition would require an arrest warrant. But there certainly isn't one. Like all countries, Germany only extradites individuals if there is an arrest warrant against them. And I actually think it's out of the question that there is an arrest warrant against CB in the Maddie case. I am not in a position to say whether the British police can obtain an arrest warrant from a British court.'
Background on the Case
The German national was named as the prime suspect in the disappearance of the British toddler in 2022 by German authorities. The Met's announcement comes days after the 19th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance. On the anniversary, Kate and Gerry McCann shared a new message on the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page.
'19 years. The search goes on… to find our Madeleine, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer,' they wrote. 'We remain very grateful for all our support from friends and family, people we know and those we don't, and from the police and authorities for their continued determination and effort. Thank you. For Madeleine, whom we love and miss every day, we will never give up. Kate, Gerry and family.'
Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve while on a holiday with her siblings and parents.
Brueckner's Criminal History
Brueckner was released after serving a prison sentence in his native Germany last September. He had been serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime. In addition to his conviction for the rape of a woman in the Algarve, he also has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking.
Circumstantial Evidence
State prosecutors in Germany have said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, including three witnesses who claimed he had confessed to them. He lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, with a period spent working as a pool maintenance assistant at the Praia da Luz resort, where the McCanns were staying when their daughter vanished. However, extensive searches for more direct evidence have ended without success. He has never been charged with any crimes in connection with Madeleine.
In March, it was announced that additional funding had been granted to continue the investigation into the disappearance.
