Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has refused to be interviewed by British police, as a former associate said he is “100% sure” the German national was involved in her kidnapping.
Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005 and could potentially be released on Wednesday.
The Met said it sent an international letter of request to 49-year-old German national Christian Brueckner for him to speak with them, which he later rejected.
Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007, shortly after she was left sleeping by her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, who went for dinner in a nearby restaurant.
The Met said Brueckner remains a suspect in its own investigation – with Portuguese and German authorities also probing the three-year-old’s disappearance.
He has previously strenuously denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
A former associate of Brueckner, Helge Busching, told ITV News on Sunday that Brueckner appeared to let slip details of his involvement in the three-year-old’s disappearance from a Portuguese hotel in 2007, describing how she “wasn’t screaming” during a conversation about the case.
Helge Busching speaking of his last interactions with Christian Brueckner in 2008
Busching said: “This was him, I am 100% sure. He can say I am innocent. I know what he was doing, I saw it with my proper eyes. I know he’s a dangerous man.”
Busching also said he was interviewed in 2017 by British police after he contacted a hotline dedicated to finding more leads into McCann’s disappearance.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, a senior investigating officer for the Met’s investigation, said the force will “continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry” in the absence of an interview with Brueckner.
He said: “For a number of years we have worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz.
“We are aware of the pending release from prison of a 49-year-old German man who has been the primary suspect in the German federal investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.
“We can confirm that this individual remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation.
“We have requested an interview with this German suspect but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request which has been submitted.
“It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.
“We can provide no further information while the investigation is ongoing.”
A number of searches have been carried out by German, Portuguese and British authorities since Madeleine’s disappearance – with the latest taking place near the Portuguese municipality of Lagos in June.
In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.
Brueckner spent time in the area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.
In October last year, the suspect was cleared by a German court of unrelated sexual offences, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
The total funding given to the Met’s investigation, titled Operation Grange, has been more than £13.2 million since 2011 after a further £108,000 was secured from the government in April.
Follow STV News on WhatsApp
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
