Madeleine suspect is facing new rape charge
THE chief suspect in the abduction of Madeleine McCann is set to be charged with the rape of an Irish tour rep.
Christian Brueckner has been named as the man involved in the disappearance of Madeleine in Praia da Luz, Portugal, 14 years ago today.
But Hazel Behan, 37, who has waived her right to anonymity, claimed he raped her in a nearby resort three years earlier.
Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor leading the inquiry, said: “It may be that we can charge him in the next three months.
“We are building a picture of Christian B and the methods he uses to commit his crimes.
“There are parallels with the case of the American tourist who was raped, the attack on Hazel Behan and the abduction of Madeleine McCann. In each case the person has come into the person’s apartment or property by breaking and entering, often not through the door,” he said.
In a separate development Brueckner’s lawyer Friedrich Fulscher claimed German prosecutors think they are “better” at solving crimes than UK and Portuguese police.
Speaking on German TV, he said: “Maybe that’s a bit typical for us Germans, that at least in Europe we somehow think we’re something special and that we can do things better than others.We’ll see if that’s the case here but I personally don’t believe it.”
Brueckner, 43, is currently serving a seven-year prison term for raping a 72-year-old American in Praia da Luz in 2005. He was convicted in December 2019.
Mobile phone records show that he was in the Algarve resort on the night Madeleine disappeared while her parents Gerry and Kate dined at a tapas bar.