Prime suspect in disappearance of Madeleine McCann charged with several sexual offencesChristian Brueckner is accused of committing several sexual offences in Portugal on victims aged from 10 to 80, according to German prosecutors
ByKelly-Ann MillsNews Reporter
14:40, 11 Oct 2022UPDATED15:32, 11 Oct 2022
The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007 has been charged in Germany with several sexual offences.
Christian Brueckner allegedly committed the offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, German prosecutors said.
According to a statement, among the charges brought against Brueckner is the rape of a woman in her 70-80s in a holiday apartment some time between December 2000 and April 2006.
He reportedly filmed the attack with a camera he brought with him, prosecutors allege.
Brueckner is also accused of raping a 20-year-old Irish woman in Praia da Rocha after gaining access to her apartment via a balcony in June 2004.
The woman was sleeping when he threatened her with a knife and raped, before he tied her to a table and fled, prosecutors say.
Brueckner is also accused of forcing a 10-year-old German girl to perform a sex act on him on a beach in Portugal in 2007, before fleeing the scene.
A further alleged assault, relating to an 11-year-old Portuguese girl in a playground, was only stopped when she bravely ran back to her father for help.
"The accused is the same person against whom charges were brought in connection with the disappearance of the then 3-year-old British girl Madeleine Beth McCann," the Braunschweig prosecutor's office said in a statement.
"Specifically, the accused is charged with three offences of aggravated rape and two offences of sexual abuse of children," the prosecutor's office added.
The office did not say if the charges related to the McCann case.
Investigators believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.
Brueckner, who has reportedly denied any involvement in the case, was identified as a suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
The suspect is currently serving a 7-year prison sentence for rape, which he also committed in Portugal in 2005.
He was convicted after DNA found on a hair in her bed was matched to him. He and his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher have denied his involvement and insisted he was convicted after a bungled investigation.
The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is continuing irrespective of the charges brought, the prosecutor's office said.
In September, Maddie's parents Kate and Gerry lost their 13-year legal battle over an ex-Portuguese detective's allegations.
Former Policia Judiciaria officer Amaral made his allegations in 2009 memoir The Truth Of The Lie.
Madeleine went missing from a resort in the village of Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a worldwide hunt for her whereabouts, but she has never been found.
Only three at the time of her mysterious disappearance in 2007, Madeleine would now be 19.
Brueckner has reportedly denied any involvement in the British toddler's disappearance since being identified as a suspect by Portuguese officials in June 2020.
Earlier this year documentary, Madeleine McCann: The Case Against Christian B, was aired as viewers saw expert investigator Mark Williams-Thomas look into the evidence against the German paedophile.
The Brit ex-cop, 52, Williams-Thomas stated in the filming that he does not believe Brueckner is responsible for the Maddie mystery after becoming the first reporter to speak to him following the allegations.
He said: "In Portugal after 15 years any serious crime including murder can't be prosecuted... Christian Brueckner was made an arguido to get around this. I believe he is innocent.
"Somebody's previous offending does not make them responsible. That is not how the criminal justice system should work."
Mr Williams-Thomas added: "I am no fan of Christian Brueckner. He has committed some horrific offences.
"But that doesn't make him the killer of Madeleine McCann unless there is the evidence to support that. And there isn't.
"They cannot place him outside Madeleine's apartment on the day of the disappearance and furthermore he has a credible alibi which places him away from there. And there is evidence of non-changing behaviour."
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