Biggest Madeleine McCann development in years as police ‘seek UK trial’ for suspect

The Met Police are seeking a trial.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains one of the most high-profile missing-person cases in modern history.

In May 2007, the three-year-old British girl vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents were dining nearby.

Despite extensive investigations by Portuguese, British, and German authorities, no definitive conclusion has been reached about what happened to her.

As of April 2025, over £13.2 million has been spent by the Metropolitan Police on the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

A major development

Last night, The Telegraph reported that police are looking to charge German national Christian Brueckner next year in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann almost 20 years ago.

The 48-year-old is a convicted sex offender and rapist and could be put on trial if the force can convince the Crown Prosecution Service to authorise charges, it has been reported.

However, Brexit has even managed to make its way into such affairs, as German law dictates that its citizens cannot be extradited to non-EU countries.

This is due to Article 16 of the German Constitution (Grundgesetz) with exceptions only existing for extradition to international criminal courts or within the EU.

If the Met cannot extradite Brueckner, The Telegraph reported that the force may look to encourage fresh charges in Germany or Portugal.

An insider at Scotland Yard told the paper: “Next year marks 20 years since Madeleine McCann went missing.

"If the evidence is strong enough to extradite the prime suspect and try him here, that is what we would seek to do."

They added: “Clearly, there are numerous hurdles but our priority at the moment is to amass the strongest evidence we can against that prime suspect.”

Who is Christian Brueckner?

Christian Brueckner is a German convicted criminal born in 1976, with a long record including burglary, drug offenses, and sexual crimes.

He lived in Portugal’s Algarve region around the time Madeleine McCann disappeared in 2007 and is considered the main suspect by German investigators, though he has not been charged in that case.

He was imprisoned for the 2005 rape of an elderly woman in Portugal, before being released last year.

Brueckner is described as being about 6ft tall, slim and white with short blond hair.

It is important that his role in the McCann case remains purely based on allegations.

With this in mind, the Crown Prosecution Service is reportedly gathering a file of evidence to weigh up bringing charges against Brueckner on suspicion of abduction and murder.

The Met's probe remains a missing persons case rather than a murder inquiry.

German authorities identified Christian Brueckner as the prime suspect in the McCann case back in 2022.

Why is Christian Brueckner a key suspect?

Christian Brueckner has been identified a key suspect in the McCann disappearance, despite links still remaining allegations.

Brueckner is a key suspect because of his location in the area at the time of the three-year-old's disappearance, while also having a historic past of crimes including sexual abuse of children and burglary.

German investigators managed to link him to the area near Praia da Luz at the time of the incident using mobile phone data.

A phone registered in his name was connected to local cell towers that evening.