Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B hits back at Met Police 'seeking UK trial'
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Christian Brueckner, who is the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has some choice words for Met Police ahead of the 20th anniversary of her case.
McCann vanished when she was three during a holiday with her family in a Portuguese resort on 3 May 2007.
Despite a man hunt and global efforts to locate her in the years since, the case has remained a mystery for nearly two decades.
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However, German native Brueckner became a person of interest some years back after allegedly being implicated by a prime German prosecutor who ousted him in being responsible for the kidnapping of little Maddy whilst serving time in prison for an unrelated crime.
Brueckner 'refused' to be interviewed by the Metropolitan Police ahead of his release last year on 17 September, after seven long years behind bars after being found guilty of the rape of an elderly American woman in Portugal in 2005.
Despite German prosecutors claiming he is responsible for kidnapping McCann, it is only now that the Met Police are working on extraditing him to the UK for a potential trial.
To this, Brueckner allegedly said: "I have good lawyers".
According to the Mirror, Brueckner was asked how he feels about possibly being brought over to be tried for the disappearance of McCann, and to this, he allegedly told the publication: "No comment... I have good lawyers".
But for German prosecutor Hans Wolters, it’s not likely to happen.
He said, per the outlet: “I suspect this is just hot air again. Extradition would require an arrest warrant. But there certainly isn’t one.”
He added: “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."
Ultimately, it could also be down to Brexit rules, as Germany and Britain have had to negotiate via the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement, in the case of an extradition. As it stands, Article 16 of the German constitution prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries.
So, this could get tricky and legal, and fast.
However, it could be negotiated between the two nations to allow the extradition to occur if there is enough evidence to warrant his arrest and charges in the case of McCann.
But this is widely debated.
A Met spokesperson told LADbible: “The Met’s investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been active since 2011. A dedicated team continues to examine the events of the evening of 3 May 2007 in Praia da Luz, while supporting and updating Madeleine’s family.
“As part of ongoing enquiries, we remain in close working discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal.
“We will continue to pursue any viable lines of enquiry.”
Topics: Madeleine McCann, Crime, UK News
Britt Jones