German officials have confirmed that Brexit is preventing Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, from facing trial in Britain. Brueckner, 48, was named by German authorities six years ago as the person responsible for Madeleine's 2007 disappearance from Portugal. However, no charges have been brought against him, and he remains under intense scrutiny despite ongoing efforts to put him on trial.
Extradition Hurdles Post-Brexit
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Scotland Yard was seeking to bring the convicted rapist and paedophile to the UK to stand trial at the Old Bailey. However, a representative of the German government stated that it cannot extradite criminal suspects to non-EU countries due to strict rules established after the Second World War. Article 16 of the German constitution stipulates that, with the exception of EU member states and international courts like the Hague, 'no German may be extradited to a foreign country.' Before the UK left the EU, a German national could be automatically extradited to the UK under the European Arrest Warrant, which requires EU members to surrender suspected criminals to each other with minimal fuss. As a result, extraditions from Germany to the UK have been 'generally precluded by German constitutional law' following Brexit.
When asked by the Telegraph whether Brexit has blocked the UK from holding suspects like Brueckner to account, a German government spokesperson replied: 'Yes, that is the case.'
Brueckner's Legal Team Reacts
Just yesterday, Brueckner's team dismissed the notion that he would be brought to the UK to face trial for her abduction. Speaking exclusively to the Daily Mail, a source close to his legal team said: 'We have been here many times before, and nothing has ever happened; we are sure this attempt will go the same way. If the UK authorities have any evidence and if they are so sure of it, why don't they share it with the Germans so that they can look at it and press their own charges. German law forbids German citizens from being extradited to another country; they can only be put on trial in Germany, so the chances of this happening are non-existent.'
Another source close to Brueckner added: 'He has seen the news and is aware of it. He's completely unfazed by it. As far as he is concerned, they have had years to bring a case against him and have failed. He's very confident this won't be going anywhere soon, but then again, he has always been an arrogant and self-assured man.'
Background on Brueckner
Brueckner was released last September from a seven-year jail sentence for rape, a crime committed in the Algarve close to Praia da Luz, where Madeleine disappeared. Since then, he has been in hiding and living rough, with locals hounding him out from various locations he has moved to in an attempt to start a new life. He was ordered to wear an ankle tag to monitor his movements, but in November, a court ruled that it should not forbid him from travelling abroad, deeming this 'unconstitutional.'
Scotland Yard officers from Operation Grange—the unit set up to investigate Madeleine's disappearance—have contacted him to ask for his cooperation, but he has always refused to speak. Next year will mark 20 years since Madeleine's disappearance, and she is still yet to be found.
Circumstantial Evidence
In letters sent to the Daily Mail, Brueckner has consistently denied any involvement in the disappearance, insisting he is being made a scapegoat by German authorities. However, there is a significant amount of circumstantial evidence linking him to the case. His mobile phone pinged close to the apartment where the three-year-old Madeleine disappeared from. He has previous convictions for child abuse, and crucially, his name was given to both German and British police by an informer in 2008. The informer told detectives that Brueckner had said a year after Madeleine vanished that she 'didn't scream' when she was taken.
