The prime suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance has 'refused' to be interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the force announced.
UK cops requested a sit-down with Christian Brueckner ahead of his pending release from prison later this week. The German national, 49, is set to gain his freedom on Wednesday (17 September) after serving a seven-year sentence in his home country for the rape of an elderly woman in 2005.
He has never been charged with any crime in relation to Madeleine's missing persons case and has denied having any involvement in her disappearance.
However, the Met Police were still keen to speak to Brueckner before his release from behind bars in a bid to help detectives 'understand what happened' to the British toddler.
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Madeleine was holidaying with her family in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz when she vanished on the evening of 3 May 2007. Despite an international search for the little girl, what happened to the three-year-old remains a mystery nearly 20 years on from her disappearance.
Brueckner was initially named by German officials as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance back in June 2020.
In May this year, it was reported that these investigators had urged the Met's Operation Grange team to reopen their probe into the world-renowned case ahead of the suspect's release.
The force has now shared some fresh information regarding the developments in their investigation.
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DCI Mark Cranwell, who is the senior investigating officer in Madeleine’s case, explained that Brueckner also remains a suspect in the eyes of the Met. Officers requested an interview with him and sent him an international letter of request to try to arrange one.
This is a 'method of cooperation between states for obtaining assistance in the investigation or prosecution of criminal offences', according to the UK government. It is 'generally used for obtaining material that cannot be obtained on a police cooperation basis, particularly enquiries that require coercive means'.
However, the Met say that Brueckner turned down the opportunity to speak with UK police.
DCI Cranwell said: "For a number of years we have worked closely with our policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal to investigate the disappearance of Madeleine McCann and support Madeleine’s family to understand what happened on the evening of 3 May, 2007 in Praia da Luz.
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"We are aware of the pending release from prison of a 49-year-old German man who has been the primary suspect in the German federal investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance."
"We can confirm that this individual remains a suspect in the Metropolitan Police’s own investigation," he said.
"We have requested an interview with this German suspect, but, for legal reasons, this can only be done via an International Letter of Request, which has been submitted.
"It was subsequently refused by the suspect. In the absence of an interview, we will nevertheless continue to pursue any viable lines of inquiry.
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"We can provide no further information while the investigation is ongoing. Any questions about the conditions around his release should be directed to the German authorities."
Brueckner discussed his plans for post-prison life in an interview with German media outlet RTL in June this year.
He suggested that he may go into hiding after his release because 'thanks to the media's involvement, half the world thinks I'm a cruel rapist'.
It is thought that he will likely head to a country which doesn't extradite criminals to Germany or the UK, such as Suriname in South America.
Once Brueckner is there, he said he is 'looking forward to a nice steak and a beer'.
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The convict also claimed he has been locked up for 'many years for something I couldn't have committed' while speaking to the outlet.
Topics: Crime, Madeleine McCann, UK News, World News
Olivia Burke