'I have said Auf Wiedersehen': Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner disowned by his mother over crimes
11 March 2024, 17:58 | Updated: 11 March 2024, 18:00
The chief suspect in the Madeleine McCann investigation, Christian Brueckner, has been disowned by his mother who says she wants 'nothing to do with him anymore'.
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The 47-year-old German offender is said to have "destroyed" the life of his adopted mother, Brigitte Brueckner, who has raised the offender since childhood.
Brueckner, a repeat sex offender and drug dealer, is currently on trial for unrelated charges of rape in Braunschweig, Germany.
Ms Brueckner said her son "destroyed" her life "all over again" after being named as the main suspect in the Madeline McCann investigation in 2022.
"I don't have anything to do with him anymore," she said.
Brueckner has always strenuously denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
The toddler went missing while her parents were having dinner nearby in the resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
"As far as I’m concerned I have said goodbye. Auf Wiedersehen," she told The Sun.
Ms Brueckner adopted Christian as a baby, alongside his older brother, in the late 1970s.
Brueckner is currently incarcerated in a German prison for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in her Praia da Luz home in 2005.
His mother has now revealed the emotional damage inflicted when Brueckner became the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance, after the child vanished while on a family holiday days before her fourth birthday.
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Brueckner appeared in court on Friday, 1 March, accused of three rapes and two counts of sexual abuse between 2000 and 2017.
Manfred Seyferth, 68, who used to be friends with Brueckner, was called as a character witness at the trial.
Mr Seyferth claimed that Brueckner regularly robbed hotels - including where they worked as waiters, allegedly stealing money and possessions from guests' apartments.
He said one of Brueckner's jobs had been close to Praia da Luz, a stone's throw from the Ocean Club where the McCanns had been staying at the time of their daughter's disappearance.
"It’s terrifying to see what he has become when you see the pictures of him at court with those frightening eyes.
"He looks nothing like the boy we all used to know.
"He looks the same but it was impossible for me to recognise him," a source told The Sun.
Brueckner's trial had been due to start in February but was adjourned by judge Dr Christina Engelmann after arguing the lay judge was unsuitable.
The argument centred around social media posts the lay judge had made, which reportedly called for former Brazilian president Jair Bolsanaro to be assassinated.
This was the first time Brueckner was seen in public since being linked to Madeline’s case in 2020.
