Prime suspect 'confessed' to fellow criminal about kidnapping Madeleine McCann

A new documentary looks into the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann and offers a shocking insight into a possible perpetrator.

It has been 18 years ago since three-year-old Madeleine McCann went missing while she was on holiday with her family at a holiday apartment complex in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

Her disappearance sparked a Europe-wide search for the child and police have been unable to conclusively say what happened to her.

A new documentary by Channel 4, Madeleine McCann: Unseen Evidence, has alleged that one of the key suspects in the toddler’s potential kidnapping may have actually 'confessed' to the crime.

In 2020, Christian Brueckner was officially identified by police as a prime suspect. His lawyers have previously insisted his innocence, and he has not been formally interviewed by the police or charged with crimes related to the McCann investigation.

Madeleine McCann went missing at the age of three in 2007 (FindMadeleine.com)

In 2016, property that belonged to Brueckner was searched by police, who made a few shocking discoveries, such as USB sticks and memory cards reportedly containing highly disturbing material, as well as children's toys, swimming costumes and images of alleged child abuse.

None of this evidence was tied directly to McCann or her disappearance. German prosecutors then stated for the first time they believe the missing girl is no longer alive.

In December, 2019, after his DNA was matched to a crime scene, Brueckner was found guilty of the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 and sentenced to seven years - a sentence he is still currently serving.

In the documentary, a German investigative reporter, Kai Feldhaus, noted that a former associate named as Helga B had suspicions about Brueckner in relation to the McCann case.

Feldhaus said: “Helga B says that in 2008, so about a year after Madeleine had disappeared, he's been at a music festival in Spain and that Christian B was also there.

Maddeleine's disappearance remains unsolved to this day (PA)

“They started to talk, according to Helga, about this Maddie situation, and Helga B claims to have said, 'I'm kind of curious that a child can disappear just like that', and according to Helga B, Christian B replied to that, 'well, she didn't scream'.

"Helga B then says he reacted to that in kind of surprised way and looked at him, and then, according to Helga B, Christian B noticed what he had just said.

"And then, according to Helga B, Christian B not only left the scene, but also left the music festival overnight, and Helga B up to today is convinced that that was the moment that the suspect confessed [to] the abduction of Madeleine McCann to him."

UNILAD has contacted Christian Brueckner's legal team for comment.

If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org