GERMANY’S top prosecutor has dramatically backed a retrial for the prime Madeleine McCann suspect in fresh hope for justice for the vanished tot.
The German Attorney General (GBA) says Christian Brueckner, 49, should be sent back to court over sex offences he was cleared of in 2024 – including the rape of Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan.
Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann disappearance, was released last yearCredit: AFP
Madeleine disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007Credit: AFP
Cops scour the area around Brueckner’s former home in PortugalCredit: Dan Charity
The result at the time stunned cops and prosecutors who needed a guilty plea to keep him behind bars for good – and a safety net so they could bring Maddie charges.
The development brings fresh hope that the McCann case could still reach court and Brueckner – currently living in a tent in Northern Germany – can be grilled over the tot.
A source said: “This shows there is still the will in Germany to get Christian Brueckner off the streets and for him to face crimes victims allege he’s responsible for.
“They have always wanted him securely behind bars before they reveal their Maddie evidence. That could now happen.”
The decision on an appeal and any retrial remains with Germany’s Supreme Court – but legal sources say the position of the Attorney General or Federal Prosecutor can have a huge impact.
In a leaked letter the Federal Prosecutor claims the court handled the 2024 cases “wrongly”.
It reads: “The court looked at each clue in isolation instead of putting all the clues together.
“In real life (and in law), cases like this are often proven by many pieces forming a pattern, not one ‘perfect’ piece of evidence.”
The letter adds: “Even if no single detail proves it on its own, taken together they could absolutely support a conviction — and the trial court failed to do that properly.”
Hazel Behan was attacked in 2004, in Praia da Rocha, Portugal, 20 miles from Praia da Luz where the child disappeared.
A masked raider – she claimed was Brueckner – threatened her at knifepoint then tied her to a bench, repeatedly raped her while recording it and whipped her.
In terms of Hazel, the Attorney General believes the court “downplayed” her testimony and “the judgment should be set aside and retried in a different court.
A pal of Hazel told The Sun: “She has hope again that justice could still be done.
“She is fully prepared to come back for a re-trial, but really hopes that they can serve justice on the evidence that was already taken over eight months.”
Brueckner was freed in September and immediately gloated he had “information to solve the scandal of the century” in a clear nod to the McCann case.
The convicted paedo served a seven-year sentence for rapeCredit: Dan Charity
Brueckner has been living in the woods in Kiel, Germany since his releaseCredit: Dan Charity
His release was a disaster for German cops who wanted to keep him behind bars while they hunted for smoking-gun-proof to back their belief he snatched and killed Maddie.
Convicted paedophile and rapist Brueckner continues to live in the woods, in a tent, in Northern Germany, in a bid to stay clear of vigilantes he is convinced want to harm him.
Three-year-old Madeleine, of Rothley, Leicestershire, vanished from the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3 2007 while on holiday with her family.
Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of the tot in 2020 by German cops who said his mobile phone had been pinged in the area on the night the tot disappeared.
Investigators say they have “physical” evidence Madeleine is dead but no forensic proof tying Brueckner to the case.
Witness Helge Busching claims a year later Brueckner all-but-confessed to him at a music festival, in Spain, allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as the pair discussed the McCann case.
An exclusive Sun investigation – aired as a Channel 4 documentary – revealed cops are in possession of image files that help contribute to their understanding that Maddie is dead.
They also say they have appalling child abduction stories where Brueckner daydreams about snatching and abusing young girls – including one outside a kindergarten.
An exclusive Sun investigation revealed that police are in possession of images that contribute to their understanding that Madeleine is deadCredit: AFP
Kate and Gerry McCann, Maddie’s parents, have been searching for answers over her disappearance since 2007Credit: Paul Tonge
He even brags about his desperation to “take something small and use it for days” in online chats with another paedophile.
Despite the reported evidence, investigators have been reluctant to charge him over the case fearing the lack of forensic evidence would harm their chances.
Investigators also take seriously the prospect Madeleine was snatched to order by human traffickers, potentially with links to Belgium.
The Met last year significantly stepped up their activity on the case, including jetting to Portugal last week to re-interview witnesses, as revealed by The Sun.
Brueckner has refused to answer police questions over the case but has insisted he is innocent in letters.
His lawyers continue to protest his innocence on all matters.
He was released from prison on September 17 when his seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a woman, 72, in Praia expired, with German cops insisting their Maddie investigation would continue.
