Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007(Image: PA)
Christian Brueckner has made a disturbing new claim about the night Madeleine McCann disappeared, saying he was just 150 yards from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz — but insisting he had nothing to do with the three-year-old’s disappearance.
The 49-year-old German sex offender, who has been named as a prime suspect in the 2007 case, claims he was in the Portuguese resort that evening to sell drugs.
Brueckner told the Mail on Sunday that he had travelled from Spain with cannabis hidden in his van and was selling it near the beach, close to the hotel where Madeleine was staying with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.
“I was on the beach, not far from Maddie’s hotel, selling drugs. I’d been in Spain and smuggled the weed into Portugal,” he claimed.
He also said Portuguese police stopped him three times while they were searching the area for Madeleine after she vanished on May 3, 2007.
“I was even stopped by police three times on the street in Praia da Luz while they were looking for Maddie,” Brueckner claimed. “Luckily, they didn’t find the drugs. My van was full of them.”
Brueckner insists he has never been involved in Madeleine’s disappearance. He claimed he had previously kept quiet about his alleged whereabouts because he believed police were attempting to build a case against him.
“Police want to frame me for the Maddie thing,” he said.
Christian Brueckner has made new claims about his whereabouts on the night of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance(Image: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Brueckner plans tell-all book
The latest claims come as Brueckner is reportedly working on an autobiography and looking for a publisher.
He has already begun writing the manuscript and is understood to have approached at least one professional author about helping him develop the book.
Friends reportedly claim Brueckner believes he could secure a seven-figure publishing deal by telling his version of events. However, such an amount would be far from guaranteed if the book were ever published.
A source previously told the Mirror that Brueckner is determined to present his side of the story and portray himself as innocent of any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
“He wants the book to be published in both German and English,” the source said.
The source also claimed the proposed autobiography has a financial motivation, with Brueckner struggling to find employment since leaving prison and reportedly living on benefits.
The suspect is plotting to write a tell-all book(Image: METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Gett)
Released from prison after rape conviction
Brueckner was released from prison around a year ago after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz.
The location is significant because it is the same Portuguese resort where Madeleine disappeared while on holiday with her family in 2007.
Despite being identified by German authorities as a prime suspect in the case, Brueckner has never been charged with Madeleine’s disappearance and continues to deny involvement.
Investigators have spent years examining evidence connected to him, but German prosecutors have so far been unable to bring the case to trial.
Since his release, Brueckner has reportedly spent much of his time living in tents in woodland after plans to place him in temporary accommodation triggered strong opposition from local residents.
Police continue to investigate Madeleine’s disappearance
Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment at the Ocean Club resort in Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, shortly before her fourth birthday.
Her disappearance has remained one of the world’s most closely watched missing-person cases.
Brueckner’s name emerged prominently in the investigation years later, although he has consistently denied any role in what happened to Madeleine.
The latest claims about his whereabouts on the night she vanished are therefore likely to attract renewed attention as investigators continue to examine the circumstances surrounding her disappearance.
In May, the Metropolitan Police announced plans to seek Brueckner’s extradition so he could face proceedings in the UK over Madeleine’s disappearance.
Detectives are reportedly hoping to secure charges with the Crown Prosecution Service before the 20th anniversary of Madeleine’s disappearance next year.
For now, Brueckner remains a suspect rather than a defendant in the Madeleine McCann case, and his claims about his whereabouts that night remain unproven.