Madeleine McCann abduction suspect 'to be charged' by the end of summer

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Madeleine McCann abduction suspect Christian Brueckner is set be charged by the end of summer. Detectives have told potential wit­­nesses to be on standby to give evidence in a German courtroom.The development comes a day before the 15th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance in Portugal in May 2007.She vanished from her parents’ holiday flat in Praia da Luz while they dined with friends in a tapas restaurant.Brueckner, 45, a convicted paedophile who lived in the resort, was named as a suspect in June 2020.

German prosecutors claim to have evidence that he abducted and murdered the three-year-old. Brueckner was made an official suspect, or “arguido”, last month by Portuguese police still investigating Mad­eleine’s disappearance.Her parents Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, in Leicestershire, welcomed the news, saying they have “not given up hope” that she is still alive.Brueckner is suspected of raping an Irish tour rep in 2004 and exposing himself to youngsters in an Algarve playground.Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said last October that he believes “a conclusion will be reached next year”.Now we can reveal friends who knew Brueckner when he lived in Portugal have been told that charges could be imminent.One former friend said: “I got a call from the Germans asking questions about a previous statement I made.“They said I should be prepared to come to Germany, possibly at the end of the summer.

They said they were hoping to charge Christian with something but didn’t go into any more detail.”It is not known if the charges will be related to Madeleine’s disappearance or the other crimes he is suspected of in Portugal.Wolters said the evi­­dence they have against Brueckner left them “100 per cent convinced” he killed