‘You can make a body vanish ... pigs also eat human f lesh’

His chilling words to friends while discussing McCann case

‘He would give children free toys’

Christian Brueckner once described feeding human remains to pigs during a heated conversation with friends about the McCann case, it has been claimed.

Lenta Johlitz, who worked in a corner shop managed by Brueckner, said that he ‘lost it’ during the discussion in 2014.

it was from this kiosk that the convicted paedophile also regularly gave children free sweets and toys.

Miss Johlitz, 34, said: ‘Once he was completely freaked out when we were sitting in the kiosk with friends and talking about the Maddie case. he wanted us to stop.’

Miss Johlitz claimed Brueckner said: ‘ the child is now dead and now that’s a good thing!’ he added: ‘ You can make a body disappear quickly. Pigs also eat human flesh.’

the claims come after it emerged Brueckner, 43, would shower youngsters with toys as they walked to a school 100 yards from the kiosk in Braunschweig. Peter Erdmann, 64, who worked at the Grundschule hohestieg primary school, said: ‘the kids would come to school holding [toy] ponies and teddy bears.

‘i used to ask them where they got them from, and they used to tell me, “Christian at the kiosk gave it to us”. he used to give the kids the presents when they walked past in the morning.’

Mr Erdmann, who worked as the school caretaker until 2016, added: ‘at the time, i did not think anything of it. i used to go and see Christian in the kiosk, and he always came across as friendly. i even asked him if he gave gifts to the kids, and he told me he had a little box full in the kiosk.

‘it turns my stomach now to think of his intentions and i wish i had raised what was going on with my bosses at the time.’ Mr Erdmann said he would speak to police about his claims. ‘i regret not being more suspicious at the time,’ he said.

Brueckner also had a young girlfriend while running the kiosk, who he is accused of beating. Meikel Monkemeyer, who runs a flooring business opposite the kiosk, said the woman was very young when they were together, perhaps as young as 16 when he would have been in his late-30s.

he said he never saw him lose his temper but said he was completely unreliable. Mr Monkemeyer rented a car from Brueckner as he had access to many vehicles, he said.

‘it was a business relationship more than anything,’ he said. ‘ But he was totally unreliable, he wasn’t punctual and i couldn’t have that as i needed to be at customers on time, and sometimes the car wasn’t even there.’