Here's my notes - so far!
about the meeting with German & Portugal. And other stuff...
Jan. 11, 2021 Update:
German & Portuguese investigators are planning to carry out new interviews of key witnesses in the Algarve who knew paedophile Christian Brueckner, who was announced as the prime suspect last year. Experts described it as “a very important step forward” & raised hopes it could lead to Brueckner being quizzed & even charged. A second top-level summit between German, British & Portuguese detectives is also expected to take place in Lisbon this spring. Prosecutors hope a new clue will give them what they need to directly question Brueckner about the case. “The police have already put some witnesses on standby to sit down for new interviews. A secret summit took place in Lisbon last summer between detectives from Scotland Yard, the Policia Judiciaria & Bundeskriminalamt. They met to “fine-tune” Brueckner’s profile in a bid to discover where Madeleine’s body could be buried. German detectives have also spent time quizzing key witnesses in the Algarve, including Mr. Brueckner’s British ex-girlfriend. German authorities say they are sure Brueckner abducted & murdered her but have declined to say what evidence they have.
Jan. 22, 2021 Update: Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told The Sun: ''It has been decided to discontinue the investigation, with the agreement of the court in Braunschweig, as the accused is now serving seven years for rape. "It would not be worth carrying on with the investigation but the counter claims from his lawyer that his client was attacked are still being looked into and no decision has yet been taken.''
March 12, 2021 Update: As the public prosecutor's office in Braunschweig explains when asked by regional Heute, four proceedings are currently being investigated against Christian B. In addition to the investigation into the Maddie case, this concerns the rape of a young Irish woman, the sexual abuse of a German tourist girl & a possible sexual abuse in connection with a children's party, on the occasion of which the convicted was arrested in Portugal & then extradited to Germany. "All the acts took place in Portugal," says the first public prosecutor & spokesman for the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office, Christian Wolters. To what extent the investigations & the proceedings in the Maddie case have progressed, how long they will continue & when an indictment can be expected, Wolters cannot say. "The suspicion against the accused still exists," said Wolters & explains that - apart from practical problems - the cooperation between the Portuguese & British authorities with the Brunswick public prosecutor is going well & is supporting the investigation. "The cooperation with the Portuguese & British authorities is naturally more cumbersome than if we were only investigating within Germany. This is due to the translations required & the relatively formalistic legal assistance procedure, which takes a lot of time," says Wolters.
May 2, 2021 Update: Christian B is suspected of attacking Irish tour representative Hazel Behan in her Portugal apartment in 2004. German cops hope to charge the sex offender “within the next three months.” Hazel, 20 at the time of the attack, contacted British police after she read of a similar sex attack he committed. Christian B is in prison in Germany for the rape of a 71-year-old American woman in 2005.
May 13, 2021 Update: German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said of the breakthrough: “We have gathered new evidence that adds further to the case we are building against our main suspect. “We are still building the case & at some time in the future we shall share the details with the suspect & his lawyer — but now is not the time. “I cannot disclose the type of evidence we have been given, it is not forensic I can tell you that but it is new circumstantial evidence which all adds to the working theory that he is the man responsible.” German police have said they have “concrete evidence” Christian B murdered Madeleine. And he added: “We have found no evidence that suggests he is not guilty of this crime & we have found a lot of evidence that suggests he is guilty but I am forbidden to go into these details.” Investigators are hopeful they can charge Christian B by the end of the summer & last week it was revealed a key witness who tipped off German police is to take part in a reconstruction in Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing.
May 15, 2021 Update: The Braunschweig public prosecutor's office is now conducting three further proceedings against the 44-year-old German Christian B. The suspect in the missing Madeleine McCann case allegedly raped an Irish hotel worker in Portugal in 2004 . Three years later he molested a ten-year-old girl from Germany on the beach. In addition, the Brunswick public prosecutor's office is investigating the sexual abuse of four children on the sidelines of a festival in São Bartolomeu de Messines in 2017.
May 16, 2021: (From The Sun). McCann cops' key new evidence has been revealed to be phone records that may show Christian B’s movements in Portugal.
June 14, 2021 Update: The letter’s writer – believed to be Brueckner – accuses prosecutors of perpetrating an “unbelievable scandal” by starting a “public prejudice campaign” against him. The writer goes on to claim that prosecutors Hans Christian Wolters and Ute Lindemann have brought “shame” to the German legal system and demands their resignations. The letter, dated 8 May, was reportedly accompanied by a hand-drawn cartoon of two people ordering “filet forensics” at a restaurant, perhaps in reference to Mr Wolters’ comment that there is no forensic evidence to suggest that Madeleine is dead. Brueckner... wrote in the letter: "Charging an accused is one thing. Something completely different - namely, it is an unbelievable scandal - when a public prosecutor starts a public campaign for prejudice before a court case is opened. Freedom of expression is not a basic right so that everyone can say and write what they want. Freedom of expression does not protect the majority. It protects the minority. It does not protect the most logical, most convincing or most popular views, but rather the outsider position. "I call on the Brunswick public prosecutors (Hans Christian) Wolters and (Ute) Lindemann to resign from their offices."
Oct. 4, 2021 Update: German prosecutors say they have "strong new evidence" against convicted sex offender Brueckner in relation to the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine. An insider on the German investigation said: “The evidence is strong & puts him in the area where Madeleine vanished. The prime suspect could be charged by Christmas, prosecutors say. Officials have been working towards charging him & say they now have "strong new evidence" for a court date by Christmas.
Oct. 8, 2021 Update: German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said: “We’re confident we have the man who took & killed her.” Prosecutors investigating paedophile Brueckner on suspicion of murdering Madeleine are certain of his guilt & determined to build the strongest possible case against him. They believe they have the evidence to charge the 44-year-old and it has “100% convinced” them that he killed her. And they hope to be able to bring charges next year. Mr. Wolters said: “It is now possible that we could charge. We have that evidence now. “But it’s not just about charging him – we want to charge him with the best body of evidence possible. “When we still have questions, it would be nonsense to charge rather than wait for the answers that could strengthen our position. “That’s why we said we’ll investigate as long as there are leads or information for us to pursue. I’m not saying that what we have is insufficient now. But he’s in prison, so we don’t have this pressure on us. We have time on our hands.” Mr. Wolters said they have no idea how she died & no DNA or photo evidence linking the German sex offender to the alleged murder. Evidence being investigated includes a “confession” Brueckner made to a pal & phone analysis showing he was at the Ocean Club when the toddler vanished. Mr. Wolters said: “It is circumstantial evidence – we have no scientific evidence. If we had a video of the act or a picture of Madeleine dead with Brueckner on camera, we wouldn’t have had to make a public appeal. But we only have circumstantial evidence.” Brueckner was living in a camper van close to Praia da Luz when Madeleine disappeared. UK & German police first became aware of him as a suspect in 2017 but only went public with it last June. Senior investigators have spoken to potential key witnesses in Germany & Portugal. Mr. Wolters dismissed as “rubbish” a recent report that the probe will end by Christmas, but said it is likely Brueckner will be charged early next year with other alleged offences in Portugal. They include the rape of an Irish woman in the Algarve in 2004 & two incidents where he allegedly flashed at youngsters.
Oct. 17, 2021 Update: There is to be
meeting between the PJ & German authorities tomorrow, Oct. 18th & Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021. The aim is to exchange information & strengthen the process against Bruckner that is taking place in Germany since he is imprisoned in that country in connection with a rape. If the Germans manage to advance to the public indictment for the death of the English girl in Praia da Luz, the Portuguese process should go to Germany, to strengthen the trial.
Oct. 22, 2021 Update: Prosecutors trying to nail the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann ’s disappearance are planning a mock trial to test their evidence. They will stage it behind closed doors in a bid to strengthen their case against Brueckner. German investigators made the decision after meeting Portuguese police last week. A source said: “It will be a sort of trial run to see how strong their case is and see what more evidence might be needed to charge him. They are 100% convinced but want to test arguments under cross-examination.” It’s believed the trial “rehearsal” will take place at the investigators’ office, with lawyers split into prosecution & defence teams.
Dec. 16, 2021 Update: The Braunschweig Prosecutor's Office is expected to accuse the suspect, Christian Brüeckner of the rape of a 20-year-old German girl that occurred in Portugal in 2004, three years before the disappearance of the girl Madeleine. According to "Spiegel:, the case of the young German shows parallels with the rape of a 72-year-old American in 2005 in Praia da Luz (southern Portugal) for which Christian B. has already been sentenced to seven years in prison. In both cases, the victims were threatened with a 12-inch long knife. The young German woman could not see the face of her assailant since he wore his face covered with a hat like a balaclava. Brüeckner is currently serving another jail term for a drug trafficking conviction & has not been formally charged in the kidnapping & possible murder of Madeleine McCann, although he is the prime suspect for investigators.