In a startling revelation that raises significant questions about the timeline of the Madeleine McCann investigation, court documents have confirmed that prime suspect Christian Brueckner had direct contact with British police years before being officially identified.
The convicted sex offender, now 47 and the chief suspect in Maddie's 2007 disappearance from a Portuguese holiday apartment, reportedly met with officers from Scotland Yard's Operation Grange in 2015. This encounter occurred a full five years before German prosecutors first named him as their prime suspect in June 2020.
Revelations from the Courtroom
The extraordinary disclosure emerged during Brueckner's ongoing trial for unrelated sex offences in Brunswick, Germany. His defence lawyer, Dr. Friedrich Fülscher, presented evidence showing his client's prior interaction with British authorities.
"Christian Brueckner was interviewed by the British police in 2015," Fülscher stated in court, directly challenging the prosecution's narrative of when Brueckner first came to official attention.
Timeline Under Scrutiny
This revelation directly contradicts the public understanding of the investigation's progress. The Metropolitan Police had previously stated they first received information about Brueckner in 2017, only passing it to Portuguese authorities in 2020.
The 2015 meeting suggests British authorities were aware of Brueckner's potential connection to the case much earlier than officially acknowledged, prompting questions about why he wasn't apprehended sooner given his extensive criminal history across Portugal's Algarve region.
Ongoing Legal Proceedings
Brueckner currently faces five separate charges for sex crimes allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. He has denied all allegations, including any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.
The Metropolitan Police declined to comment on the court disclosure, citing the ongoing investigation and legal proceedings. Operation Grange continues its work, having cost approximately £13 million since its establishment in 2011.
Madeleine McCann was just three years old when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007. The case remains one of the most high-profile missing person investigations in modern history.
