German police are failing to keep proper tabs on Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner, a local mother has warned. The convicted paedophile, who has settled in Kiel since his release from prison, is allegedly able to move around freely despite being under 24/7 surveillance with an ankle tag.
Mother Annika B, a member of the campaign group Victims Protection Before Perpetrator Protection, told the Daily Express that Brueckner is often seen walking around the area and cycling near the harbour. “He is and remains a rapist. The authorities are simply too soft. Absolutely nothing happens. He walks around here as if he has never done anything,” she said.
Brueckner, 48, is living in a portable cabin ghetto close to the centre of Kiel, just yards from family homes. Annika expressed concern that some parents are reluctant to let their children go out alone, adding: “Germany protects him far too much. He can walk around freely and the criminal police are nowhere near watching him 24/7.”
Met Police detectives want Brueckner extradited to the UK to face charges over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. However, German prosecutors have failed to gather enough evidence to bring charges despite mobile phone data linking him to the area.
Brueckner was released from prison in September last year after serving a sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American tourist. He has previous convictions for child sexual abuse. Local mothers use social media to track his movements, as German privacy laws prevent authorities from informing residents about his location.
