Christian Brueckner, the man identified as the prime suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, smirked as he left a German courtroom on Wednesday, ignoring journalists’ pointed questions about whether he abducted and murdered the child in 2007.
The appearance, which drew sharp reactions from the press and observers, came as Brueckner was convicted of insulting prison guards.
The 47-year-old, already serving a seven-year sentence for rape, appeared in court in Lehrte for verbally abusing staff at the facility where he’s being held.
According to reports from The Mirror, Brueckner had called prison officers a “laughing stock” and told a female guard to “shut your gob” during a March 2024 meeting regarding his solitary confinement status.
He later claimed he was “tortured” and treated “inhumanely” but ultimately apologized in writing, stating he had simply “woken up on the wrong side of the bed.”
Brueckner received probation for the offense, with the term still unspecified, and was ordered to pay court costs. Under German law, insulting a public official is a criminal matter.
If he violates the terms of his probation, he will face a minimum of one additional month in prison-though prosecutors had reportedly hoped for a longer sentence to prevent his anticipated release this September.
As release nears, calls grow for action in McCann investigation
Brueckner remains under active investigation in connection with the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
Though he has not been charged, German authorities took the rare step in 2020 of publicly naming him as the main suspect. He has consistently denied involvement.
Pressure is now mounting on prosecutors to bring charges before Brueckner walks free. New details surfaced in a recent Channel 4 documentary, alongside revelations from a disturbing police search of a disused box factory in Germany believed to be connected to Brueckner.
The search reportedly turned up disturbing materials, including more than 75 girls’ swimsuits and toys, small bicycles, children’s clothing, and a collection of explicit documents.
Startlingly, some of the evidence was allegedly buried beneath the body of Brueckner‘s dead dog, which investigators exhumed during the operation.
“The clock is against the case here and investigators do not want to see Brueckner walk free,” a source told The Sun. “Their best option could be intervention from British cops but they have to be prepared to take it on. There are 20,000 pages of Madeleine evidence and the Germans are ready to translate the lot.”
This news was originally published on this post .
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