A former Belgian justice minister has suggested that Madeleine McCann may have been abducted on the orders of a notorious paedophile network, echoing the crimes of convicted child killer Marc Dutroux. Marc Verwilghen, who oversaw the Dutroux inquiry, told The Sun that intelligence passed between European forces just days before Madeleine vanished in May 2007 indicated a trafficking gang had 'placed an order' for a young girl.
Verwilghen said he experienced 'déjà vu' upon hearing about Madeleine's case, as it reminded him of Dutroux. He stated: 'When you look at the case it is of course possible Madeleine was stolen to order. The alert … should have been taken seriously.' Dutroux, jailed for life in 2004, abducted, raped and murdered girls in the 1990s and was suspected of links to wider trafficking networks.
The claims come as prime suspect Christian Brueckner is due to be released from prison this week after serving a sentence for raping a 72-year-old woman. German police have long argued that Madeleine was unlikely to have been taken by a lone offender, but their investigation remains focused on Brueckner. A source close to the case said police take the Belgian intelligence seriously but are not pursuing the network angle.
Brueckner's release without monitoring conditions has raised fears he could disappear. British detectives from Operation Grange have requested an interview with him, which he refused. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell said: '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.'
