MADELEINE MCCANN SUSPECT BRUECKNER CLAIMED ‘SHE DIDN'T SCREAM' TO FRIEND WHO REPORTED HIM

The prime suspect in the search for Madeleine McCann claimed "she didn't scream" to the friend who reported him to police. Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 45, made the admission in a letter.

In the letter he attacks the person who informed on him, Helge Busching, who contacted the police in 2017 to say he had information on Madeleine's disappearance.

Brueckner and Busching had reportedly been friends in the early 2000s before they fell out after a drugs deal went wrong the same year Madeleine disappeared after which they never spoke again.

In the letter, seen by the MailOnline, Brueckner wrote: "The following sentences from the 'witness' Helge B in 2017 were responsible for all the public hunting and hatred against me by the German authorities.

"I was at the hippy festival in 2008 in Spain. Manfred (Seyferth another witness) was also there as well and Michael (Tatschl another witness), Manfred, Christian and I then started talking about Portugal."

Brueckner added: "It was then Christian made a comment about the missing girl. Christian asked me if I was still going to Portugal.

"I replied: 'I'm no longer going to Portugal because there are too many problems there, Portugal has too many police for me on account of the missing child.

"It is indeed strange that she disappeared without a trace.' Christian replied: 'Yes, she did not scream.'"

After slamming the claims made against him by Busching, Brueckner explains how they fell out over a drug deal in 2007.

Busching allegedly gave a statement to police in 2017. Whilst under investigation, Busching was put in touch with Operation Orange, the team in charge of looking for Madeleine McCann.

The latest twist in the search for Madeleine comes just days after German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said items had been found after a high-profile search at the Arade Dam last month.

He said: "Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed."

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, at least one "relevant clue" has been found thanks to the search.

The dam is just 31 miles from where Madeleine McCann was last seen before she disappeared on May 3, 2007.

In a statement, Mr Wolters said: "We thank all officers who participated in the search. The cooperation between the Portuguese police, the British officers and the German federal police was outstanding and very constructive."

The search, which used heavy machinery, sniffer dogs, and pickaxes, lasted three days and came at the request of German investigators who believe convicted sex offender Brueckner is the prime suspect.

Brueckner is thought to have travelled in his Volkswagen T3 camper van to the reservoir.

2023-06-03T17:42:01Z dg43tfdfdgfd