Christian Brueckner, the man suspected of abducting and killing Madeleine McCann, has allegedly confessed to snatching a young girl from a holiday apartment in Portugal, according to his former cellmate. Brueckner, a convicted paedophile, is under investigation for his suspected involvement in the disappearance of Madeleine, who went missing at the age of three in Praia da Luz in May 2007.
The startling claim was made by Laurentiu Codin, who testified in court, saying Brueckner had admitted to abducting a child while in the Algarve region. Codin recounted, “He told me that in Portugal, he had stolen there. He was in a region where there are hotels and rich people live. He said there was somewhere with an open window.”
Codin continued, sharing details of what Brueckner allegedly revealed during their time together in prison. “He said he was looking for money but didn’t find any. Instead, he found a kid and took the child. He said that two hours later, police and dogs were all over the place, so he left the area.”
Brueckner allegedly mentioned that he had not acted alone. “He told me that a person was with him, someone he had an argument with, apparently his woman. He said he took the child in his car and, while the police and dogs were at the house, he drove away.”
This follows previous statements from Maddie investigators, who have expressed their firm belief that the toddler is dead, though they have not explained the reasons behind this conclusion.
Codin also alleged that Brueckner appeared anxious about potential evidence he may have left at a crime scene, asking whether a person could be traced through hair or if climbing over a balcony might leave a trace.
In court, Codin claimed Brueckner had requested him to burn down his box factory hideout after his release from prison, as Brueckner believed he would never be freed.
German FBI agents later searched the property and uncovered several data storage devices and hard drives, though their relevance to the case has not yet been revealed.
Codin further alleged that Brueckner boasted about destroying evidence by burning a car, though he did not specify which crime it was connected to during his testimony.
Codin said: “He told me that he was there in Portugal with another person and that he set fire to a car or hired someone else to set fire to a car in Portugal.”
“So he told me that the last time he had sex was with a woman from Portugal. He had preferences, he wanted to choke her, he wanted to pull her by the hair and ejaculate in her face. He told me that he didn’t do it with her consent but forced her.”
He added: “He asked me every time if I was a paedophile. Every time we spoke, he came back to that. Brückner said at the time: ‘Tell me, you don’t have to watch out for me’.
“He told me all these things in the hope that I was a paedophile too.”
Codin, 50, testified in court that the German had “confided” in him while they were both held on remand in the same prison.
He also alleged Brueckner told him of abusing “tiny” young girls on a “bus” he owned after snatching them.
Codin told the court: “There was talk of a girl, I don’t know if what he said was true or not.
More to follow.
