A cold case investigator has slammed German prosecutors for being “obsessed” with the belief that Christian Brueckner was behind her disappearance. He has debunked the theory and warned that investigators must now look elsewhere as the “real killer remains at large”.
Mark Williams-Thomas, a former police officer and investigative journalist, posted a video on X which tears apart the theory of German prosecutors. He claims that Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the Madeleine McCann investigation, is working from incorrect evidence and Brueckner, who was released from prison this morning (Wednesday, September 17), was not involved in the disappearance in May, 2007.
Mr Williams-Thomas said: “In 2020, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters came out and said there was a prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case. He went further than that and released two telephone numbers, one ending in 680 and one ending in 683.
“From my investigation for Paramount TV, we looked at those two telephone numbers and found that 683 was in fact owned by a German paedophile but not Christian B. And the telephone number 680 was owned by someone who was not Christian B.
“While they may have communicated together, there was no evidence to show that Christian B was using 680 or 683. Furthermore, that telephone number 680, that the German authorities say Christian B was using, was not outside Madeleine’s apartment. In fact, it could have been up to 5km away or 6km away.”
He added: “The German prosecutors say that Christian B was outside the apartment on the night Madeleine disappeared but that is not correct at all. They have tried to build their case around that but, to date, no charge has been made and not even an interview with Christian B.”
He went on to explain that a woman could be Brueckner’s potential alibi. She reportedly spent time with the German suspect during the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
The detective explained: “During my investigation, I have found out about an individual, an alibi, that Christian B was seeing the week of the disappearance of Madeleine. Crucially, while we can’t say he was with her that night, he was with her most of that week.
“The day after Madeleine’s disappearance, we do know that he (Christian B) and this girl were stopped in their car and photographed together by the police. That photograph has now been destroyed, as has the record of the car stop as it’s well over 15 years later.
“But, significantly, I traced that young lady and spoke to her partner. He said that she recounts that whole situation and at no stage did Christian B’s behaviour change at all.”
He continued: “So, where are we left? Christian B has now been released from jail and german prosecutors are absolutely obsessed that he is responsible for Madeleine’s abduction. But there is no evidence to support this.
“In fact, the evidence suggests the complete opposite. Hans Wolters, the prosecutor, can’t put Christian B outside the apartment and cannot link the telephone numbers to Christian B.
“There’s only one person that suggests that number is Christian B’s and that’s his estranged girlfriend. The whole situation is an utter mess.
“The whole world has been fixated on Christian B being responsible for Madeleine’s disappearance but my investigation says totally the opposite. Christian B is not a nice man, he’s a child predator, but there’s no evidence to support that he abducted or murdered Madeleine.
“While everyone continues to be obsessed with this, the real killer remains out there and at large.”
Brueckner, who was serving a seven-year prison sentence for the rape of an elderly woman at her home in Praia da Luz in 2005, was released from jail today. The 49-year-old has always any involvement in the disapearance of Madeleine McCann.
The Metropolitan Police said Brueckner remains a suspect in its own investigation – with Portuguese and German authorities also probing the Madeleine’s disappearance. In 2020, German prosecutors investigated Brueckner on suspicion of murder in connection with Madeleine’s case.
Then in 2023, investigators searched near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz. Brueckner spent time here 2000 and 2017, and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.
Brueckner remains a suspect in the Met’s investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, which is not affected by his release. Investigators from Britain, Portugal, and Germany continue to piece together what happened on the night the young girl disappeared.