60 Minutes Australia: Inside the depraved world of Maddie McCann’s key suspect

Police investigating the prime suspect behind Maddie McCann’s disappearance have made a disturbing new discovery on his property.

Since the night Madeline McCann disappeared, her “anguished but unbroken” parents Kate and Gerry have never let the world forget their daughter.

For the past 13 years, since their little girl went missing on a family holiday in Portugal, they never stopped searching for answers, and say they hope she is still alive.

Now, alarming new evidence revealed by 60 Minutes Australia could hold vital clues to Maddie’s 2007 disappearance.

On June 4, German authorities made a shock announcement declaring the three-year-old dead, and leading to that announcement is believed to be a disturbing discovery in the campervan Christian Brueckner.

According to 60 Minutes, more than 8000 disturbing pieces of evidence, including videos and pictures reportedly of his alleged crimes — including the swimsuits of little girls — were discovered in the van inhabited by the 43-year-old German sex offender.

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At the time Maddie was abducted, on the night of May 3, 2007, Brueckner lived in a house in Monte Judeu just 8am from the Ocean Club apartment in Portugal from where three-year-old disappeared. He also had a “vile and disgusting” shack only 3 kilometres from the hotel.

Currently in prison for the torture and rape of a 72-year-old woman, Brueckner was recently named by German police as the mostly likely offender in Maddie’s disappearance, is now being treated as murder.

Convicted sex offender lived near the Portuguese resort where Maddie McCann was snatched in 2007. Picture: Bild/ Supplied

DISTURBING CONTENT

The disturbing alleged discovery in Brueckner’s van uncovered a shocking detail in Brueckner’s offending — that he filmed his alleged crimes.

Upon searching a deserted factory owned by Brueckner, police allegedly found thousands of videos, and pictures reportedly of his alleged crimes in his 10 metre long campervan, 60 Minutes reported.

Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation into Brueckner, told the program he was not able to say if there is or isn’t any pictures of Maddie.

“I mean he was into child pornography and torture and he did crimes against children at a very young age and according to the current information, he also filmed his offences,” Mark Hofmann, a Berlin-based Crime & Intelligence Analyst who also works with German police, told reporter Liz Hayes.

German police have revealed they believe Maddie McCann (above) is dead and their prime suspect is paedophile Christian Brueckner. Picture: Supplied: AFP

SUSPECT’S CHILLING HISTORY

Between 1995 and 2017, Brueckner drifted between Germany and the Portuguese coastal town of Praia da Luz.

The small-time drug dealer lived chillingly close to where he committed the grim rape of an elderly woman in 2005 — and recorded it.

“This is not just rape. This is one of the most brutal ways of rape, which are possible,” Mr Hoffman said.

According to police files, he beat her with a metal rod and it was only last year that DNA evidence led to Brueckner’s conviction.

Mr Hoffman, who has also studied Brueckner’s sordid criminal past, said Maddie was potentially just as much of a target for Brueckner as his elderly victim.

“It’s really important to understand that many child molesters are not paedophiles. So for them, it’s not about the young age itself, it’s about weakness, it’s about vulnerability, and it’s about feeling some sense of power. So they like to attack ‘easy victims’,” he said.

Police have seized disturbing videos and USBs from a property occupied by Christian Brueckner, including swimsuits of little girls in his campervan. Picture: 60 Minutes

Mr Wolters told Hayes he assumes that Maddie is dead, however is “not allowed” nor able to reveal all the details of their evidence.

“Yes. We don’t have the body and no parts of the body, but we have enough evidence to say our suspect killed Madeleine McCann,” Mr Wolters said, adding they knew of her death two years ago.

Between 9pm and 10pm, when Maddie was abducted, investigators also claimed to have discovered a mobile phone which was allegedly used by Brueckner in the immediate area of her hotel room — implying he was at the scene.

Brueckner also deregistered a second car he owned and photos released at the time also shows a striking similar vehicle.

Christian Brueckner raped a 72-year-old woman. Picture: 60 MinutesSource: Supplied

The sexual deviant was also a burglar. Picture: 60 Minutes

PAEDOPHILE CHATROOM

Police also believe they have evidence of Brueckner talking in a paedophile chatroom in 2013 about how “bad” he wanted to abuse a little girl.

In the disturbing audio, which aired on 60 Minutes, Brueckner claims to have said if the “evidence is destroyed”, he will “document exactly how they will be tortured”.

“He’s very, very clear about his fantasy, about abducting children and torturing them and using them for a couple of days. So these are very clear words,” Mr Hoffman said.

The Praia da Luz apartment (above) from which Maddie McCann disappeared. Picture: 60 Minutes

Christian Brueckner sold drugs and broke into hotels all in the close vicinity of the McCann family holiday apartment. Picture: 60 Minutes

German police are also investigating the disappearance of another little girl, Inga Gehricke in 2015 — almost eight years to the day Maddie went missing.

“I think that there are more victims of our suspect of other crimes,” Mr Wolters told 60 Minutes.

But the prosecutor stopped short of suggesting they were dealing with a serial killer.

“I don’t know. I’m not able to judge this,” he said.

German authorities made a shock announcement: their suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is 43-year-old Christian Brückner, a sex-offender currently in prison for the rape of a 72-year old woman in Portugal. #60Mins pic.twitter.com/syTyfggA7K

— 60 Minutes Australia (@60Mins) June 28, 2020

Mr Hoffman said he believes that if Brueckner abducted Maddie, it’s also likely he killed her.

“And killing is likely for different reasons. Number one, it’s likely because it’s part of the fantasy, but number two, it also just could have practical reasons not to be arrested for this crime, because she was old enough to talk,” he told Hayes.

Christian Brückner has not yet been charged with any crime relating to Madeleine McCann’s disappearance or death.