Parents decided to kick out their disruptive son
The adoptive parents of Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner took him in as a baby – but later kicked him out because of his shocking behaviour, it was claimed last night.
It emerged that Brigitte and Fritz Brueckner were forced to disown their son as a teenager when he started a disturbing life of crime.
Brigitte said of the latest claims about Brueckner: “I don’t know anything about it. I don’t want to know anything about it.”
Close family friend Monica Veirheilig said: “This will destroy Brigitte.”
Fritz suffered brain damage in a car crash in 1992. It was then that Brueckner went off the rails and had to be sent to a special school.
There has been widespread shock in the village of Bergtheim, Würzburg, in Bavaria, that the troublesome youth they knew in the 90s had been linked to serious crimes.
Many didn’t know he was convicted of the horrific rape of a woman, 72, in Praia da Luz in 2005 – 18 months before
Maddie went missing.
He is appealing the seven-year sentence.
One villager said: “The Brueckners were a lovely couple, very kind. But what happened with their boy Christian is a catastrophe.
“He was often in trouble and got worse and worse as he grew into a teenager. Brigitte did her best but she couldn’t cope with the boy.”
Another local mum said Brueckner was a nasty troublemaker, adding: “He was well known in our area for getting into trouble.
“You never think something like this is going to come to your doorstep.
“I just hope for the poor parents of Madeleine that the case is resolved soon.”