Affaire Maddie McCann. Comment la disparition d'une enfant au Portugal en 2007, portée par une houle médiatique déferlante, fut alimentée comme un grand fauve insatiable. En quoi ce ténébreux fait-divers mit en danger la liberté d'expression, ce qu'on y apprend sur la nature humaine et pourquoi rien n'est plus contraire à la sagesse qu'un excès de subterfuges, comme lorsque les apparences ont la préséance. Nil sapientiæ odiosius acumine nimio (Sénèque?), repris par Poe ("La lettre volée").
Citation
"Grâce à la liberté dans les communications, des groupes d’hommes de même nature pourront se réunir et fonder des communautés. Les nations seront dépassées" - Friedrich Nietzsche (Fragments posthumes XIII-883)
ENGLISH AND GERMAN POLICE AT PJ’S HEADQUARTERS OF THE JUDICIAL PGS 12 AND 13
- PJ hands-over evidence of the main suspect’s involvement in other crimes - BRUECKNER tried to abduct two children in 2017
Secret meeting to find Madeleine
LEADS - DNA does not place suspect in the apartment, but there is evidence of involvement in other crimes
TÂNIA LARANJO / PAULO JOÃO SANTOS
The
meeting was secret and it took place recently in Lisbon’s PJ. It
brought together English and German authorities and had as objective the
gathering of evidence to find Madeleine McCann. For now, the data
remains circumstantial, but the Germans have already taken the elements
of two other cases, which allow Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in
Maddie's disappearance, to be maintained in prison.
The
objective is to be able to draw a profile of the German, that will help
the authorities to understand how he will have disposed of the body,
after having abducted the English girl in the Ocean Club.
The
searches in the basement where the man lived for several years revealed
nothing, nor even did the DNA profiles collected in the apartment where
the child disappeared place the suspect at the scene of the crime. But
several witnesses have already been heard that indicate that Christian
Brueckner knew the Ocean Club well and knew about Maddie's parents'
routines.
For the German authorities, there is little doubt that
it was Christian Brueckner who killed Maddie, after kidnapping her, but
the biggest thing left to know remains the place where the body was
hidden.
At the meeting that took place recently in our country,
the PJ reported all the diligences it did in the Algarve, namely the
searches carried out in various places and which proved to be
unsuccessful. Wells and holes were finely combed, but there was no sign
of any of the girl’s remains.
The German authorities asked the PJ
for details of two other cases, which could allow to maintain suspect
in prison for several years. For now, the German is serving time for the
rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz – a seven year sentence - but
he could soon be accused of a rape in 2004 and an attempt to kidnap two
children in 2017. Both crimes occurred in the Algarve.
Portuguese,
English and Germans do not give up on the investigation and for now
continue to try to gather information about the suspect's past. It is
essential to understand the routines in 2007, when Maddie disappeared,
at the same time that Christian Brueckner lived nearby
Conversation in cafe relaunched the investigation
SECRET - Friend said that Brueckner confessed to the crime in 2008. But he only revealed it eight years later.
The
Brueckner investigation was born out of a coffee conversation. Helge
Busching, who met the German when Maddie disappeared, in Praia da Luz,
Lagos, says the suspect revealed to him having been involved in the
child's disappearance in 2008.
Busching, who helped convict
Brueckner for violating the 73-year-old American woman - stole from him
the camera he used to film the crime - gave name of the German to the
English police in 2017, on the 10th anniversary of the girl's
disappearance .
He assures that Brueckner told him, during a
festival in Spain, when they were in a cafe, that he had been involved
in the disappearance. Nine years later, after Busching was arrested for
immigrant trafficking in Greece, he said he wanted to speak to the
British police. In Athens, when asked what he thought of Brueckner,
regarding Maddie, he replied: Guilty.
The suspicions were later
passed on to the Portuguese police, who managed to place Brueckner’s the
cell phone in the vicinity of the crime scene. It was Busching who
revealed the number that the friend used at the time.
WARRANT - WAS RELEASED The
two children who were harassed by Brueckner in 2017 say they saw him
masturbate near a slide while playing. They called the parents, the man
was arrested, but although he had a pending arrest warrant, he was
released and escaped with impunity.
PJ - INTENSE COLLABORATION The
PJ has collaborated intensively with the English and German
authorities. There is an exchange of elements and also a lot of
information that is worked jointly to try to understand where Madeleine
McCann may be. The Germans have already guaranteed that the girl is
dead.
PARENTS - SEARCHES NEAR THE BEACH An image
showing Maddie's father, hours after her disappearance, by the beach, in
the area of the resort, raised suspicions to the authorities. At the
time, the couple claimed that the girl had been abducted, but the
Englishman seems to be looking for a body. That was one of the leads
that was followed.
COFFIN - INCINERATED BODY ANOTHER
OF THE LEADS THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE PJ AT THE TIME WAS THE
POSSIBILITY OF MADDIE'S BODY TO HAVE BEEN PLACED IN A COFFIN AND HAVE
BEEN INCINERATED.
DETAILS
Mother was arguida The
PJ even followed the line that Maddie was accidentally killed by her
mother, and Kate was constituted arguido for negligent homicide. She was
never accused.
Contaminated scenario When the PJ arrived at
the room where the girl slept in 2007, the scene had already been
contaminated. Tens of people had been at the site and tens of DNA
profiles were collected.
Case reopened After being archived,
the case was reopened and the case was sent to the Porto’s PJ who became
in charge of reading all the documents. The objective was to try to
find new lines of investigation. It was only then that the hypothesis of
the girl's abduction and death gained strength.
SIMILARITIES LED AUTHORITIES TO MOVE FORWARD The
similarities between the rape of an Irish female in 2004 and the case
of the American woman that led to Brueckner's conviction led the PJ to
reopen the case and send the evidence to Germany.
SUSPECTED ABUSE OF 10 YEARS CHILD Christian
Bruecker is also suspect of another sexual abuse of a 10-year-old
German child, on a beach, in the Algarve, in Portugal, in the same year
that Maddie disappeared.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT GOES TO JUDGMENT Also
going to trial in Germany is a case of sexual harassment that involved
two children in a playground in São Bartolomeu de Messines, in the
Algarve. It was in 2017.
Arrived in the Algarve with just 18 years Christian
Brueckner, 43, spent more than a decade living in Portugal and left the
country shortly after Maddie's disappearance. He arrived in the Algarve
in 1995, at the age of 18. He lived in a camper that was seized.
NEW ADVANCES IN THE INVESTIGATION
SECRET MEETING TO FIND MADDIE
ENGLISH AND GERMAN POLICE AT PJ’S HEADQUARTERS OF THE JUDICIAL PGS 12 AND 13
- PJ hands-over evidence of the main suspect’s involvement in other crimes
- BRUECKNER tried to abduct two children in 2017
Secret meeting to find Madeleine
LEADS - DNA does not place suspect in the apartment, but there is evidence of involvement in other crimes
TÂNIA LARANJO / PAULO JOÃO SANTOS
The meeting was secret and it took place recently in Lisbon’s PJ. It brought together English and German authorities and had as objective the gathering of evidence to find Madeleine McCann. For now, the data remains circumstantial, but the Germans have already taken the elements of two other cases, which allow Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in Maddie's disappearance, to be maintained in prison.
The objective is to be able to draw a profile of the German, that will help the authorities to understand how he will have disposed of the body, after having abducted the English girl in the Ocean Club.
The searches in the basement where the man lived for several years revealed nothing, nor even did the DNA profiles collected in the apartment where the child disappeared place the suspect at the scene of the crime. But several witnesses have already been heard that indicate that Christian Brueckner knew the Ocean Club well and knew about Maddie's parents' routines.
For the German authorities, there is little doubt that it was Christian Brueckner who killed Maddie, after kidnapping her, but the biggest thing left to know remains the place where the body was hidden.
At the meeting that took place recently in our country, the PJ reported all the diligences it did in the Algarve, namely the searches carried out in various places and which proved to be unsuccessful. Wells and holes were finely combed, but there was no sign of any of the girl’s remains.
The German authorities asked the PJ for details of two other cases, which could allow to maintain suspect in prison for several years. For now, the German is serving time for the rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz – a seven year sentence - but he could soon be accused of a rape in 2004 and an attempt to kidnap two children in 2017. Both crimes occurred in the Algarve.
Portuguese, English and Germans do not give up on the investigation and for now continue to try to gather information about the suspect's past. It is essential to understand the routines in 2007, when Maddie disappeared, at the same time that Christian Brueckner lived nearby
Conversation in cafe relaunched the investigation
SECRET - Friend said that Brueckner confessed to the crime in 2008. But he only revealed it eight years later.
The Brueckner investigation was born out of a coffee conversation. Helge Busching, who met the German when Maddie disappeared, in Praia da Luz, Lagos, says the suspect revealed to him having been involved in the child's disappearance in 2008.
Busching, who helped convict Brueckner for violating the 73-year-old American woman - stole from him the camera he used to film the crime - gave name of the German to the English police in 2017, on the 10th anniversary of the girl's disappearance .
He assures that Brueckner told him, during a festival in Spain, when they were in a cafe, that he had been involved in the disappearance. Nine years later, after Busching was arrested for immigrant trafficking in Greece, he said he wanted to speak to the British police. In Athens, when asked what he thought of Brueckner, regarding Maddie, he replied: Guilty.
The suspicions were later passed on to the Portuguese police, who managed to place Brueckner’s the cell phone in the vicinity of the crime scene. It was Busching who revealed the number that the friend used at the time.
WARRANT - WAS RELEASED
The two children who were harassed by Brueckner in 2017 say they saw him masturbate near a slide while playing. They called the parents, the man was arrested, but although he had a pending arrest warrant, he was released and escaped with impunity.
PJ - INTENSE COLLABORATION
The PJ has collaborated intensively with the English and German authorities. There is an exchange of elements and also a lot of information that is worked jointly to try to understand where Madeleine McCann may be. The Germans have already guaranteed that the girl is dead.
PARENTS - SEARCHES NEAR THE BEACH
An image showing Maddie's father, hours after her disappearance, by the beach, in the area of the resort, raised suspicions to the authorities. At the time, the couple claimed that the girl had been abducted, but the Englishman seems to be looking for a body. That was one of the leads that was followed.
COFFIN - INCINERATED BODY
ANOTHER OF THE LEADS THAT WAS FOLLOWED BY THE PJ AT THE TIME WAS THE POSSIBILITY OF MADDIE'S BODY TO HAVE BEEN PLACED IN A COFFIN AND HAVE BEEN INCINERATED.
DETAILS
Mother was arguida
The PJ even followed the line that Maddie was accidentally killed by her mother, and Kate was constituted arguido for negligent homicide. She was never accused.
Contaminated scenario
When the PJ arrived at the room where the girl slept in 2007, the scene had already been contaminated. Tens of people had been at the site and tens of DNA profiles were collected.
Case reopened
After being archived, the case was reopened and the case was sent to the Porto’s PJ who became in charge of reading all the documents. The objective was to try to find new lines of investigation. It was only then that the hypothesis of the girl's abduction and death gained strength.
SIMILARITIES LED AUTHORITIES TO MOVE FORWARD
The similarities between the rape of an Irish female in 2004 and the case of the American woman that led to Brueckner's conviction led the PJ to reopen the case and send the evidence to Germany.
SUSPECTED ABUSE OF 10 YEARS CHILD
Christian Bruecker is also suspect of another sexual abuse of a 10-year-old German child, on a beach, in the Algarve, in Portugal, in the same year that Maddie disappeared.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT GOES TO JUDGMENT
Also going to trial in Germany is a case of sexual harassment that involved two children in a playground in São Bartolomeu de Messines, in the Algarve. It was in 2017.
Arrived in the Algarve with just 18 years
Christian Brueckner, 43, spent more than a decade living in Portugal and left the country shortly after Maddie's disappearance. He arrived in the Algarve in 1995, at the age of 18. He lived in a camper that was seized.