German prosecutors insist they have new evidence pointing to Maddie prime suspect

5 May 2022, 17:52

German prosecutors in the Madeleine McCann case have shut down claims they found fibres from the missing girl's pyjamas but still insist they have new evidence pointing to a prime suspect.

Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the case, sparked claims of a breakthrough earlier in the week when he hinted that evidence had been uncovered in the toddler's case, with reports suggesting threads from her pyjamas had been found in Christian Brueckner's campervan.

Brueckner, 45, was identified as a murder suspect by German prosecutors in June 2020 but has reportedly denied any involvement in the case and has not been charged.

Mr Wolters told MailOnline: "The whole story about the traces of fibres is total nonsense.

"In the interview I said that we have found new evidence in the last two years. However, there was nothing [that proves Brueckner's innocence] among them.

"Everything we have found confirms to us our working theory that we are not going in a senseless direction. 

Read more: Madeleine McCann suspect's lawyer blasts claims new forensic evidence has emerged

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"We are happy the suspect is the man responsible and will continue working in this direction. Nothing we have found so far suggests he is not the man responsible.

"I cannot say anything about the further investigations results and individual pieces of evidence at the moment.

"I was asked if we had found evidence of something of Madeleine McCann in the suspect's van and I replied that I could not speak about the investigation, that's all.

"We have found no fibres and I can tell you the new evidence we have is not forensic evidence but I'm not allowed to give you any further details.

"We remain convinced that the suspect in prison is the person responsible for the crime. There is no alibi.

"The suspect did not give us an alibi and we did not find an alibi during our investigations."

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Brueckner's lawyer, Friedrich Fulscher, also rubbished the claims that fibres had been found in his campervan.

A statement shared with the site read: "Due to the varied press reports about traces allegedly found in one of my client's vehicles, I consulted the Braunschweig public prosecutor's office.

"It is misinformation spread by a Portuguese journalist. The prosecutor's office has confirmed that there are no traces of any kind in one of my client's vehicles.

"Of course, the public prosecutor's office is also not interested in misleading the public in this way, so that in such cases there is open communication with the defence."

The development came 15 years after Madeleine vanished from the apartment she slept in with her two younger siblings in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents visited a nearby tapas bar.

Last month Brueckner, 45, was made an "arguido", a Portuguese legal designation which elevates a witness to the status of a named or formal suspect.

According to Sky, he has claimed to have an alibi, revealing he was having sex in his camper van with a woman at the time of Madeleine's disappearance.

He is serving a seven-year jail term for a brutal 2005 sex attack on a 72-year-old woman and his application for early release has been rejected by the German authorities.