A witness who claims to have spoken to the man suspected of kidnapping Madeleine McCann claims that Christian Brueckner admitted he was involved in her disappearance, just a year after the little girl went missing.
Madeleine was vacationing with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007 when she vanished from her hotel room while her parents were dining a short distance away on the resort property. The investigation has been active for years, though authorities had not named an official suspect until earlier this year, when prosecutors in Germany said they believed Brueckner, who is currently in prison on an unrelated conviction, was involved in Madeleine’s disappearance and presumed murder.
Helge Busching told the Daily Mail that he and another man helped police bring charges against Brueckner for the rape of a 72-year-old woman, when they reportedly stole video footage from Brueckner’s home that incriminated the 43-year-old German national. Busching has a criminal past of his own, and told the Daily Mail that he gave police a tip in 2017, following his own arrest on charges of smuggling migrants, that he says led authorities to name Brueckner as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance.
According to the report, Busching spoke to Brueckner at a Spanish kite festival in 2008, where Brueckner allegedly admitted that he had been involved in Madeleine’s abduction.
It is unclear why Busching waited until 2017 to offer his tip to police, but the Daily Mail article cites a German police report which apparently states that Busching’s possible evidence was “given voluntarily and without monetary or other consideration.”
Bushing declined to comment further about what he may know about Madeleine’s disappearance.
“I am not allowed to say anything about Brueckner but I hope he stays in jail,” Bushing told the Daily Mail.
Brueckner is currently serving a sentence for a drug conviction, and has also been convicted of raping the 72-year-old woman, but he is appealing that decision.
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