Madeleine McCann Hunt Twist: Cops Launch Urgent Appeal For Retrial Of Kidnap Suspect Christian Brueckner — As Date He Is Set to Walk Free Is Revealed
Prosecutors have filed an appeal after Christian Brueckner was found not guilty in separate case.
Oct. 8 2024, Published 7:00 p.m. ET
Prosecutors launched an immediate appeal of Madeleine McCann kidnapping suspect Christian Brueckner after he was clear of two counts of rape and two counts of indecent exposure in a separate case.
RadarOnline.com can reveal investigators have requested Germany's highest court for a retail, arguing the case was biased and the judge missed crucial points.
Their appeal came as the exact date Brueckner will be set was set for September 17, 2025.
Brueckner has yet to be charged over the three-year-old’s disappearance.
While Brueckner was cleared in a separate case, the not guilty verdict was a devastating blow to McCann prosecutors.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told the Sun: "We will make an appeal to the highest court in Germany, the supreme court.
"They have the power to order a retrial with new judges.
"We believe we have enough evidence Christian B is guilty and we believe the court will see the judges here have misinterpreted the evidence."
McCann prosecutors filed an appeal after the verdict.
Wolters continued: "We believe one of the judges was not open to the possibility of Brueckner being guilty – and they had made their minds up before the case even started.
"As soon as we had an indication of this we applied for that judge to be removed, but the request was declined.
"We think there is a case to show bias among the judges and we believe we can show that.
"We think we can win an appeal – we hope so."
Brueckner was identified as prime Madeleine suspect in 2020.
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Brueckner's trial additionally saw the credibility of key witnesses to the McCann case struck down in court by the convicted rapist's lawyers.
Judge Ute Engemann said witness Helge B – who connected Brueckner to the missing toddler – was "inconsistent" with his claims in court.
She further said his accounts did not match statements given to police.
The witness admitted to committing crimes with Brueckner while living in Portugal – where McCann disappeared while on vacation with her parents in May 2007 – during the 2000s.
He went to police in 2020 with claims regarding Brueckner and McCann's kidnapping.
But authorities have vowed to not let either blow influence their ongoing investigation.
They further noted the importance of having Brueckner in custody as "the clock is ticking" in their trial.
Wolters explained: "We can't hold a trial if he is not here.
"The only way to stop him leaving the country or going to a non-extradition country is to get an arrest warrant.
"We have less than one year now on the Maddie case – the clock is ticking."
Christian Brueckner was hoping to land $260,000 worth of damages after he was cleared of rapes this week.
Still, Brueckner has yet to be charged in connection to McCann's disappearance.
McCann prosecutors have been preparing to file an appeal ever since the judge lifted an arrest warrant for Brueckner in the case in July, which they believed signaled he would not be found guilty in the separate case.
Now, without a new warrant or further charges being brought against Brueckner, he would walk away a free man as early as next September.
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