Madeleine McCann: German prisoner identified as suspect

[katydid23]

My question: if he was a known burglar in the area at the time of the disappearance, why was he not on police radar years ago and if so why not investigated further? He fits what the profile is often for these perps: white man usually around 25-40 years old, fits the general description of the sketch of a white man carrying a small child that one witness said, seems to be a loner (seems to not be married or have children of his own though I am not sure if that's the case but oftentimes these people are loners), not stable in employment or in housing situation it appears plus add the very relevant info re: burglary in hotels: BOOM, that would definitely be someone you really look into. I mean if an amateur had to draw a profile that would be it.

Did they not know he was a burglar till years later? Did he have an alibi? Was he even investigated? how does the rape of the American fit in- when did they find out about that? If they knew about that at any point in the last 13 years that makes the circumstantial evidence even stronger. When did they figure out him for the rape? Was it really 10 years before they connected the rape to him? There would have been DNA for that probably so whenever they connected him to the rape they immediately should have focused in on Madelaine. If it turns out to be him it seems like there will be alot that the Portguese and British police have to answer for for not figuring this out years ago.

How many burglars are there running around hotels in the area? I don't hear of massive burglaries in nice hotels in Florida or Hawaii; sure it may happen but it's not like there is a ring of burglaries because otherwise no one would vacation there. the burglars should have been the firs suspect. Is the area so unsafe that there are all these burglars running around and they just skipped him? It looks like a nice area on TV.

German police seem secure that they know how she died and that she is dead. Why? Confidence in the manner of death is intriguing. How would they know that without a body or confession? Is there a tape? Is there reason to believe what he told someone and that knowledge is second hand? Do they have him on tape confessing to someone?

It is not clear to me whether he is just such an obvious suspect and so they are announcing it now because it is so obvious and it may turn out that they really don't have much else on him and he is just a weirdo criminal unrelated to this crime OR they have some kind of tape of a murder or found DNA evidence of Madelaine somewhere.

"My question: if he was a known burglar in the area at the time of the disappearance, why was he not on police radar years ago and if so why not investigated further?"

According to the Daily Mail article, he was a suspect, but was 'cleared' in 2008. So he was on their radar earlier. But they mistakenly cleared him. He probably had a fake alibi from someone who lied for him. We can see that possibility because of the request, where they asked for help from those with new loyalties. There were also early mistakes w/the timeline.There are some clues to that in this article:
How the German Madeleine McCann suspect was discovered during a 13-year investigation

It had always been assumed that Madeleine had been snatched by 9.15pm, but in 2013 Operation Grange detectives said they believed her abduction could have actually taken place as much as 45 minutes later.

It meant that the witness statement of an Irish family, who had been on holiday in Praia da Luz in May 2007, suddenly took on new significance. Martin Smith from Drogheda reported seeing a man carrying a child around Madeleine's age towards the beach at around 10pm on the night she disappeared.

"How many burglars are there running around hotels in the area? I don't hear of massive burglaries in nice hotels in Florida or Hawaii; sure it may happen but it's not like there is a ring of burglaries because otherwise no one would vacation there."

Here is the answer to your question:
The Secret World of Hotel Theft
According to this article, it is way more common than you'd think. Hotels. especially upscale resorts, keep it quiet. But theft from hotels is a routine occurrence.

The Secret World of Hotel Theft
by MARK ELLWOOD
November 24, 2017
The lack of reliable data makes the topic a murky one.

But worse than the foiled burglary itself was the hotel’s reaction to it....perhaps because hotels prefer to discourage guests from turning the incident into a statistic, whether they’re one- or five-star spots.

“There’s no need to call the police, sir—if you would just calm down,” said the night manager. (I was neither shouting nor swearing, though the situation probably deserved a modicum of both.) It was only after I threatened to remain at the front desk to discourage other guests from checking in that he grudgingly relented. I was determined to know how my room had been so easily accessed, and what measures that hotel would take to prevent the same things from happening to other guests. Was the room attendant incriminated? Had I been targeted? Was I careless, and entirely at fault?


Nine times out of ten, people who have an incident [in a hotel] don’t go to the police,” says criminologist Bob Arno, who specializes in travel safety. Such low reporting rates are one reason the topic of theft in hotels is so murky. One expert estimated that every day in a big-city hotel, there’s at least one crime committed—and it’s almost always theft. Even when a crime occurs, police don’t separate hotel-related thefts from other burglaries or petty larceny; unsurprisingly, hotel companies treat their properties as mini-republics, and are loath to make any internal figures public.

 

[Taskforce88]

Humm, the way they handled the case is not exactly professional.
When you see the tunnel vision towards the parents, meanwhile not exploring valuable lines of inquiries, the way they handled the scene...

I do not trust them at all in this case!

I agree

 

[Giuc0]

I think it’s good and helpful his picture is released. All 3 police forces are appealing to the public regarding information about him and his whereabouts in 2007 - but not wanting to show us what he looks like (or even his name at first)

how does that work? Or help?

FWIW, a mugshot is so artificial it won't jog any memory on my part.

Life pictures can jog memories much better.
A mugshot is a very artificial setting to the point it doesn't help jogging memories. In my humble experience FWIW

 

[rebel123]

The 'urgency' is that CB is due to be released Sunday he has served 2/3rds of his sentence. So the German / UK police forces are pulling out all the stops, no doubt if they have enough evidence to charge and keep him in prison, there will be further developments over the weekend.

 

[katydid23]

The 'urgency' is that CB is due to be released Sunday has he has served 2/3rds of his sentence. So the German / UK police forces are pulling out all the stops, no doubt if they have enough evidence to charge and keep him in prison, there will be further developments over the weekend.

Is it true that he has had 17 arrests for sexual assaults, starting as a minor?

I don't understand how he can be released again to run free and keep assaulting ...

 

[rebel123]

This is bizarre, he spent 1/2 hour on the phone prior to Maddie's disappearance. You would imagine that was one of the longer calls that evening. The police knew who he was, but didn't dig deeper (apologies I did state previously that the police would of kept an eye on him from 2007).

I'd love to know where 1/2 hour phone data compares to the other calls.

 

[Taskforce88]

The 'urgency' is that CB is due to be released Sunday he has served 2/3rds of his sentence. So the German / UK police forces are pulling out all the stops, no doubt if they have enough evidence to charge and keep him in prison, there will be further developments over the weekend.

December 2019: convicted. Sentenced to seven years for the rape. Prison term not yet started pending an appeal that the conviction was unlawful but he is being held in police custody.

So he was due for release this Sunday?

 

[HayLouise]

Just curious if there is any mention of a man of this description or a camper van in the Netflix documentary? I keep feeling like there was something about a van....but it's been too long for me....I know the report of a man carrying a child towards the beach is now given more weight, but I feel like in the last few episodes there was someone similar...I guess I should go watch again.

There was mention of a van in the documentary I will try find the info and post.

 

[rebel123]

I got that from the 'mail online', read it earlier this morning. Not there now.

Madeleine McCann: Paedophile suspect had 17 convictions | Daily Mail Online

 

[Ironside]

I ran the numbers on Whatsapp, then called.
The numbers are not attributed any more.

Passed the tip to the UK police.

My thinking is running them at regular interval and as soon as it is reattributed, I tip the police.
Why? The articles & the numbers can stay online for months, even years.
And in the meantime, other folks, who have nothing, nada, zlitch to do with the case, can be stalked and abused.

For the police, it can take time to get the info by themselves because of bureaucracy.

By doing it by myself, it can save plenty of time and protect innocent people.


I know it when I had to change my mobile number because I was victim of stalking (long story I feel very uncomfortable to tell publicly).
My carrier attributed me a number which had been inactive for years, maybe decades.
If the number were used by a criminal years or decades ago, released nowadays while inactive and then, attributed to me days later its release in medias while I have nothing to do with the case, I'd had appreciated someone called me to check and then, report to the police that in the short interval between the publication and right now, the number has been reattributed to someone who has nothing to do with the case.

I am always extremely anxious to call any institutional authority, but I forced myself to do it because of a collective interest.

It costed me €00.00 to run the number, and it can save time and lives.

If the number gets reatributted, a regular check & reporting to the police can save time and lives.

FYI, called the UK police before feeding the cats & taking meds.
Cats are well, my health doesn't suffer from damage for taking meds a bit later and it's all right


And the police officer was even thanking me in French

Am I missing something here as I honestly don’t understand how this is a smoking hot tip. The police would be able to access all data about the phone numbers. They’d know if they are in service or not. I’m confident they would have checked all this out already.

 

[JerricaBenton]

This is the first time I've ever been hopeful about a development in this case. Fingers crossed the family finally get some answers.

 

[rebel123]

Sorry, it does say he could be freed in days, they probably got some facts wrong -
Police hunt Madeleine McCann suspect's 'underage Kosovan' ex who lived with him in Praia da Luz | Daily Mail Online

 

[Officer Dibble]

Yes, I wondered about that too and whether she was the source of his alibi

Agree. JMO

 

[Sarahlou]

Was he in the same area as Inga went missing, can't find much on this case, was he a suspect in this before being suspect for maddie?

It says he lived 48 miles from where she went missing and allegedly didn't have an alibi for that day. They investigated him in 2016 over Inga's disappearance
Police link jailed paedophile to abduction of girl aged five in 2015 | Daily Mail Online

 

[HayLouise]

@flashy09 its episode 7, 17:10. A transit van though (I think) and not a camper

 

[FrankHoney]

First post, hi I’ve lurked round this forum for years and I highly respect all of your intelligent and compassionate input.

I’m cautiously optimistic about this breakthrough. One thing I’ve learned lately about the British press is that if you’re seeing a lot of stories about something, even if they don’t seem to be telling you much, you read between the lines as they are telling you something they can’t publish yet (or maybe ever). I am hopeful that this sudden small burst of information is just the very beginning of a bigger story waiting to explode. That family have suffered enough and will never recover from this. I’m desperate for them to at least be able to close the door on wondering, imagining what may happened to their lovely daughter.

Edit: the above is MOO

 

[Dlk79]

Reading between the lines of what the German police have stated thus far, I think they clearly have more evidence that they are unwilling to divulge just yet. The fact that the McCanns representatives are taking it seriously suggests they know about at least some of it too.

This evidence almost certainly involves strong knowledge of third party involvement and of how Maddie was killed. They obviously think the key is tracking this third party down hence the unusual step of releasing the phone numbers. In the final episode of the Netflix documentary, one of the holidaymakers talks about seeing two gentlemen in the alley behind the apartments, the description of which seems to correspond with this suspects appearance. You'd think the police would have asked her by now if she recognises the suspect as one of the men. If she did, it could be they are trying to trace the other man.

I think this reference to him in an online forum from years ago that keeps coming up could be significant too. Since nobody seems to know what its about (please say if anyone does know?), I suspect its a forum of a more sinister type, one that you won't find on the normal internet. If that's the case, then a link to his involvement made in that environment becomes rather damning.

I also wonder about the timing of this story breaking giving the conversation in the bar took place 3 years ago. The cynical side of me wonders if there was an eagerness to get his name and picture out there to see who would come forward with information. Since German privacy laws prevent it, by releasing certain details about the case to the press it was only a matter of time before the British Press had his name and picture plastered everywhere.

This is all speculation of course.

 

[Officer Dibble]

I have some theories according this statement:
1. It's logic. Simple as that. The girl has been missing for so long that it is highly unlikely to find her alive. Why waste the time, energy and money in investigating her whereabouts when she is dead? It's easier to find a dead body then a living and moving person.
2. According to German law, anyone who has been missing for more than 10 years can be declared dead. If there is a clear sign that the missing person is in some danger that is threatening his life, he can be declared dead one year later. It might be that.
3. We do not know what he said when he was drunk. Maybe he confessed to have killed her. Maybe he implied it. Maybe they think if he raped her the way he did the poor old woman that Maddie had no chance to survive.
4. They took a look on the evidence collected by British and Portuguese police and came to different conclusions than them. Especially the cadaver dogs, as the results of cadaver dogs are accepted as evidence in court in Germany.

Some good points raised here. Can you tell me, as you kindly did some translation yesterday, have you seen anything more about the fact he is alleged to have left a bag/s of wigs and fancy dress when he left one of the Algarve properties? I was just wondering if he wore a wig when he allegedly abducted M?

Edit: I've also read that the alleged perp did dog sitting for German friends at a house in Monte Judeu. But I can't link that article unfortunately. If you find anything in a German paper about this I'd be interested to hear more. Thanks.

 

[Fizzysolvescrime91]

Watching this avidly.

Does anyone else link the positive cadaver response on the blue sofa to a potential assault on MM in the property (if we are putting CB there)?

 

[katydid23]

I got that from the 'mail online', read it earlier this morning. Not there now.

Madeleine McCann: Paedophile suspect had 17 convictions | Daily Mail Online

News magazine Spiegel today revealed that Brueckner has 17 convictions in Germany for child abuse and child *advertiser censored* offences, driving without a licence, assault, burglary, theft and drink driving.

Brueckner's first burglary was in his home town of Wurzburg, Bavaria, in 1992, when he was 15. He was also given a two-year youth sentence in 1994 for sexually abusing a child when he was a 17. After his 12 years in Portugal he was jailed for drug smuggling in northern Germany October 2011.

In 2013 he abused another little girl and was caught with child *advertiser censored*, and was jailed for those offences in 2016. It was only in 2019 he was jailed for the rape in Praia da Luz after being found living on the streets in Milan.


Today it was revealed he had tortured and raped a 72-year-old American tourist in her holiday home close to the McCann's apartment in 2005, 18 months before the three-year-old was snatched from her bed - but was only jailed last year after German police began investigating.

Weeks before Maddie disappeared he moved from a rural farmhouse into a VW T3 Westfalia campervan taken in the Portuguese resort in the days before she vanished. He also had a 1993 Jaguar XJR6 with a German number plate that was registered to another person in his home country 24 hours after Maddie was taken - but he was still driving it, Scotland Yard has said. Both vehicles have been traced by police.

The suspect then returned to Germany where he was jailed for dealing drugs in the North Sea resort of Sylt and later 'sentenced on numerous occasions to prison terms for sexual abuse of children in the past', Christian Hoppe, from the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA) has said.

He had been registered in Braunschweig since 2014. In court, he said he worked until seven in the morning until midnight but the business, along with his relationship, failed and he began to hit the bottle and live on social assistance.


He returned to Portugal where he was arrested in June 2017 and extradited again to Germany. The reason was a sentencing of the Braunschweig district court to 15 months' imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a child.

After his release in August 2018, he was homeless, the accused continued at his trial. He spent nights sleeping in park benches before fleeing to Italy where he was arrested in Milan in September 2018.

After being released from prison he appears to have left Germany for Italy but was held by police last year after an European arrest warrant was out out over the 2005 rape of the US tourist. He is now less than seven months into his seven-year jail term for the crime - but is appealing claiming his extradition was unlawful.



SUMMARY:
1994:
He was also given a two-year youth sentence in 1994 for sexually abusing a child when he was a 17.

2011:
After his 12 years in Portugal he was jailed for drug smuggling in northern Germany October 2011.

2016:
In 2013 he abused another little girl and was caught with child *advertiser censored*, and was jailed for those offences in 2016

2017:
He returned to Portugal where he was arrested in June 2017 and extradited again to Germany. The reason was a sentencing of the Braunschweig district court to 15 months' imprisonment for the sexual abuse of a child.

2018:
After his release in August 2018, he was homeless, the accused continued at his trial. He spent nights sleeping in park benches before fleeing to Italy where he was arrested in Milan in September 2018.

2019:
It was only in 2019 he was jailed for the rape in Praia da Luz after being found living on the streets in Milan.