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Authorities Announce Major Suspect Update In Madeleine McCann Case
British authorities have issued a major update in the Madeleine McCann case, 19 years after she went missing.
She was just three years old when she disappeared from the apartment she and her family were staying in, in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007.
Madeleine and her younger siblings had been left alone in the apartment to sleep while their parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, went for dinner with friends nearby.
The pair took it in turns to check on their children and it was around 10pm when Kate returned to their apartment to find Madeleine had gone missing.
Local police launched an investigation into the disappearance, initially finding evidence suggesting Madeleine had been abducted, before later shifting the blame onto Kate and Gerry.
It wasn’t until 2011 that police in London launched Operation Grange to review the handling of the case, re-examining any evidence and identifying any new people of interest.
German police announced person of interest
Despite millions of pounds being invested into searching for missing Madeleine, no one was ever formally charged in relation to her disappearance.
However, in 2020 German police made a shock announcement when they revealed they believed a man named Christian Brückner could be responsible.
Prosecutors revealed that Brückner, a German national with a criminal history involving sexual offences, who lived in the Algarve at the time of the disappearance, was traced to the area on the night in question.
They also tragically revealed that they believe Madeleine to be dead, suggesting Brückner is likely guilty of her murder, however officials have still not formally charged him.
Kate and Gerry McCann’s regret
In the years since Madeleine’s disappearance, both Kate and Gerry have expressed their deep regret at leaving their children unattended that fateful night.
Kate in particular has spoken about her biggest regret, in a book she wrote called Madeleine: Our daughter’s disappearance and the continuing search for her, where she discussed finding a note in the Portuguese police files, which had been written by hotel staff.
“It wasn’t until a year later, when I was combing through Portuguese police files, that I discovered the note,” she wrote.
“The note requesting to get a block booking was written in a staff message book, which sat on a desk at the pool reception for most of the day.
“This book was, by definition, accessible to all staff and, albeit unintentionally, probably to guests and visitors, too.
“To my horror, I saw that no doubt in all innocence and simply to explain why she was bending the rules a bit, the receptionist had added the reason for our request: we wanted to eat close to our apartments as we were leaving our young children alone there and checking on them intermittently.”
Kate went on to say ‘we now bitterly regret’ the decision and ‘will do so until the end of our days.’
UK authorities issue update on case
Just days after the 19th anniversary of the day Madeleine disappeared, authorities in the UK have announced plans to charge Brückner next year.
If the Metropolitan Police can convince the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to authorise charges, the German national could stand trial at London’s Old Bailey.
However, even if the CPS does permit charges, Berlin will still need to allow the request to extradite Brückner, as German law prevents the extradition of its citizens to non-EU countries.
If the Met are unable to bring charges against him in the UK, they will continue to push for fresh charges to be brought against him in Germany or Portugal, the Telegraph reports.
An insider from the Met Police told the UK publication: “Next year marks 20 years since Madeleine McCann went missing. If the evidence is strong enough to extradite the prime suspect and try him here, that is what we would seek to do.
“Clearly, there are numerous hurdles but our priority at the moment is to amass the strongest evidence we can against that prime suspect.”
Brückner was freed from prison in Hanover last year after serving a seven year sentence for raping a pensioner. He has multiple child sex abuse charges against him dating back as early as the 1990s.
Related Article: Madeleine McCann’s Parents Make Devastating Confession 19 Years After She Disappeared
Related Article: Kate McCann Says ‘Horror’ Note In Restaurant Reservation Book May Have Led To Daughter Maddie’s Disappearance
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