Christian Brückner admits to child abduction in Portugal

Christian Brueckner, a 47-year-old convicted paedophile, is under scrutiny as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann in Portugal. During a trial for unrelated sex crimes, a former cellmate, Laurentiu Codin, testified that Brueckner confessed to abducting a child from an apartment while he was in Portugal. Codin claimed that Brueckner was looking for money but instead found a child, which he took in his car while police were searching the area. The testimony has raised significant concerns regarding the credibility of the evidence against Brueckner. Detective Niko Mueller, who is involved in the investigation, noted that Codin had not previously mentioned these allegations during interviews with authorities. This discrepancy casts doubt on the reliability of the claims made by Codin, who has not disclosed the reasons for his imprisonment. Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping an American pensioner in Praia da Luz, the same area where McCann disappeared. Despite the serious nature of the allegations against him, he has not been charged in connection with McCann's case, leading to fears that he may be acquitted of the current charges. The trial is set to conclude in December, and if Brueckner is found not guilty, there is a possibility he could be released from prison. This scenario would intensify pressure on authorities to pursue charges related to McCann's disappearance, as they believe they have evidence indicating she is deceased.