Madeleine McCann breakthrough: what ‘new evidence’ has been discovered and who is Christian Brueckner?

Madeleine McCann breakthrough: what ‘new evidence’ has been discovered and who is Christian Brueckner?

Madeleine McCann disappeared nine days before her fourth birthday.

German prosecuters say they have discovered “new evidence” which links a convicted sex-offender currently in prison in Germany with the disappearence of Madeleine McCann in 2007.

It is 15 years to the day when three year-old, Madeleine McCann, disappeared.

Madeleine McCann’s disappearance went on to be and continues to be, one of the world’s most high profile unsolved missing persons cases.

Madeleine’s mother and father, Kate (née Healy) and Gerry McCann have spent the last 15 years searching for their daughter.

What ‘new evidence’ has been found?

Hans Christian Wolters told a Portuguesse TV station recently that prosecutors are “sure” that a 45 year-old German called Christian Brueckner is responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance and murder.

Some media organisations have suggested the evidence found by prosecutors is actually microfibres linked to Madeleine, found in the van Brueckner was using in Portugal in 2007.

However, prosecutor Wolters denied the newly discovered evidence is of a forensic nature.

“We actually haven’t found a single piece of the puzzle in the two years that would have somehow helped to exonerate Christian B,” the prosecutor told Sky News.

“We have found new facts and new evidence. It’s not forensic evidence but evidence.

“So it’s really nothing that would somehow maybe be an alibi or something. Nothing of that has come to light, really at any point,” he added.

Portuguese police named Brueckner as an ‘arguido’ on April 21, 2022.

It was the first time police had named an ‘arguido’ since parents Kate and Gerry McCann were named as suspects in 2007 (both were later cleared).

Brueckner, who is currently serving a seven year prison sentence for the rape of a 72 year-old woman, has consistently denied having anything to do with the disappearance of Madeleine.

Telecoms data received by prosecutors shows Brueckner received a phone call near the apartment from which Madeleine disappeared.

However, Brueckner, claims to have been miles away with a woman at the time of the toddler’s disappearance.

Who is Kate McCann?

Kate McCann was 39 years-old when three year-old Madeleine disappeared

Mrs. McCann was working as a GP at the time of her daughter’s disappearance.

Mrs. McCann quit her job in the wake of what happened to Madeleine however she returned to work in 2021 to help alleviate pressure on the NHS as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In March 1968, a girl called Kate Healy was born Huyton near Liverpool.

As a young girl, Kate Healy, who would go on to become Kate McCann, attended All Saints School in Anfield, then Notre Dame High School in Everton Valley.

In 1992 she would graduate from the University of Dundee with a degree in medicine and would begin her career in obstetrics , with brief spells in gynaecology, anaesthetics before finally finding her calling as a general practice doctor.

It was while studying medicine in Scotland in1993 that Kate Healy met fellow medical student, Gerry McCann, who was studying at Glasgow University.

The couple wed in 1998 and Kate Healy became Kate McCann.

Kate gave birth to the couple’s first child, Madeleine, in 2003 and twins, Amelie and Sean, in 2005.

Who is Gerry McCann?

Gerry McCann was born in Glasgow in 1968.

Mr. McCann met and married his wife, Kate, in 1993 abd 1998 respectively.

Mr. McCann is also a professor and is one of the most prominent cardiologists in the United Kingdom - he currently works for the NHS in Leicster.

Are Kate and Gerry McCann still married?

Kate and Gerry McCann have been married 24 years and live in Rothley, Leicestershire, with their twin children, Amelie and Sean.

What are the facts around the disappearance of Madeleine McCann?

Madeleine McCann vanished without a trace from an apartment in a holiday complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.

Madeleine was alone in the bedroom with her twin siblings when she disappeared.

Parents Kate and Gerry McCann were dining at a nearby tapas restaurant with friends at the time of their daughter’s disappearance.

The McCanns were named as official suspects (arguidos) by Portuguese police in September 2007 however they were no longer considered suspects in 2008 as there was virtually no evidence to support this theory.

There have been countless theories and rumours throughout the last 15 years but it’s perhaps the most recent development that could unlock the truth about what happened to Madeleine McCann.

A German man called Christian Brueckner has been named the prime suspect in the toddler’s disappearance.

It has been reported that Brueckner had been living out of a campervan close to where the McCanns were holidaying in 2007.

Serial sex offender, Brueckner has a considerable criminal record and is currently in prison in Germany.

Portuguese authorities have officially named Brueckner as a suspect.