Met detectives are trying to bring prime suspect Christian Brueckner to Britain to stand trial for Madeleine’s abduction and murder, but German officials claim he can’t be extradited to the UK because of Brexit
Madeline McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner has been “living like a rat” in Germany – as it was claimed he cannot be extradited to the UK because of Brexit.
A senior Met Police officer is reportedly leading the push for the convicted paedophile and rapist, 48, to be charged in Britain with Madeleine’s murder before the 20th anniversary of her disappearance next year. And he wants him to stand trial in London.
But strict laws in the country’s post-war constitution mean German nationals cannot be extradited to a foreign country, with the exception of EU member states and international courts, such as The Hague.
Brueckner initially moved to the northern port city Kiel after he was released from prison last year. But he quit a day later after complaining there were “too many police”.
He has since bounced between motels and a make-shift campsite. And wherever he has gone, public panic has followed. His current whereabouts are not known, but he is required to wear an ankle tag and lives under police surveillance.
Last year, he was tracked down to woodland on the edge of a German city, where he was holed up under a makeshift tarpaulin tent in what appeared to be a one-man campsite.
One worried local told The Sun at the time: “All the parks and woodland around the city, and tracks alongside the railway, must be perfect for him.
“It has meant he’s been able to live like a rat, he can get around the city without being seen. He needs them — there is so much anger towards him being here. Of course everyone knows he is the Maddie suspect — but we don’t know if he is responsible for that.
“Our concerns are the crimes he is guilty of — a brutal rape and horrific child sex abuse. Who would want a person like this living in their city?”
Three-year-old Madeleine vanished in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while on holiday with her family in May 2007. No one has ever been brought to justice.
Brueckner was named as the prime suspect by German cops in 2020 while serving a seven-year prison sentence for the rape of a pensioner, but he has not faced any charges and he was released from jail last year.
And cops hoping to bring Brueckner to Britain for a murder trial have since suffered a blow when it emerged extradition may not an option in the wake of the UK’s departure from the EU.
And when asked if Brexit had blocked the UK from extraditing suspects such as Brueckner, a spokesman told The Telegraph: “Yes, that is the case.”
Brueckner himself has even scoffed at suggestions he could be extradited to Britain, telling the Mirror: “I have good lawyers.”
And a source close to the paedophile told The Sun: “He’s completely unfazed by it. As far as he is concerned, they have had years to bring a case against him and have failed.
“He’s very confident this won’t be going anywhere soon, but then again, he has always been an arrogant and self-assured man.”
At the weekend, Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry McCann were joined by her brother and sister Sean and Amelie, now 21, at a prayer vigil to mark 19 years since her disappearance.
In a statement online, the couple said: “The search goes on to find her, to achieve some justice, to make the world that bit safer.
“We remain very grateful for all our support from friends and family, people we know and those we don’t – and from the police and authorities for their continued determination and effort.
“For Madeleine, who we love and miss every day, we will never give up. Kate, Gerry and family.”
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