German police won’t ‘drag out’ case
Brueckner
convicted of raping a 72-year-old American GERMAN police looking to solve woman in the resort in 2005. the 13-year hunt for Madeleine But today he will appeal against the McCann’s kidnapper hope to wrap rape conviction in a Luxembourg court, up the case “within months”. claiming his extradition under a European
Braunschweig public prosecutor Arrest Warrant was unlawful as it Hans Christian Wolters has refused to related only to the drug charge. say if paedophile Christian Brueckner If successful he could be released as will face charges over the British threeyear-old’s early as next February but Mr Wolters abduction in 2007. hopes the German will fail in his
But police are facing a bid to be freed. race against time to keep He said: “We have an him in jail – with an interest in keeping our appeal against a rape suspect in custody. This conviction due to be gives us access to interrogations heard in court today. Mr and in the Wolters said: “We have event of an indictment.” no endeavours to drag Last week Portuguese this out unnecessarily. police searched abandoned We’ll draw a line at some wells near a seaside point and see: Is it enough for haunt where the paedo an indictment or not?” PROSECUTOR Mr Wolters parked his campervan.
Brueckner, 43, was But German prosecutors named as prime suspect in Madeleine’s were not told about fresh searches. disappearance last month – more than They say they do not even know what a decade after she vanished from her prompted them to begin the hunt. It holiday flat in Praia da Luz, Portugal. raises fresh concerns about the probe,
He is in Kiel prison, Germany, serving which has faced claims of “botches” and a 21-month prison sentence for drug missed chances to find her. offences after he was extradited back to
Germany last year. He was subsequently