PROSECUTORS are launching an immediate appeal against Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s not guilty verdict – claiming judges were BIASED.
Investigators want Germany’s top court to send the entire case for a retrial, claiming judges missed crucial points – and were biased from the start.
Darren FletcherChristian Brueckner will walk free next year after being cleared[/caption]
APHe stood emotionless as the verdict was read out on Tuesday[/caption]
PA:Press AssociationMadeleine McCann vanished in 2007[/caption]
AFPThe Portugal apartment Maddie was taken from in 2007[/caption]
It came as following the verdict the exact date Brueckner is now due to be released was revealed as September 17, 2025.
The paedophile was cleared today over two counts of rape and two counts of indecent exposure – unrelated to the Maddie case.
But the not guilty decision represents a possible blow to the McCann case.
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 belive the court will see the judges here have misinterpreted the evidence.”
Mr Wolters added: “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.”
Worryingly, the trial has also saw the credibility of key witnesses from the McCann case shot down in court by Brueckner’s lawyers, in a further blow.
However, Maddie cops have vowed the verdict will not impact their investigation into the snatched three-year-old.
Prosecutor Wolters warned the clock was not ticking on the McCann case.
He said: “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 hear now on the Maddie case – the clock is ticking.”
Brueckner has never been charged in connection with the Maddie case.
Judge Ute Engemann handed down the verdict at Braunschweig Regional Court.
The judge told the court key witness Helge B – who linked Brueckner to Maddie – had been “inconsistent” with his accounts in court.
She said they had not matched the statements he had given police.
Helge had told the court he was convinced that his former drifter pal snatched the British tot.
He committed crimes with the convicted rapist while the two lived in Portugal in the early 2000s.
And then he came forward in 2020 to claim Brueckner had taken Madeleine.
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 – and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31, 2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September
September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe going until March 2018
November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria
May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office
November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
November 2018 – UK police re-examine a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents
June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers
June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo Christian Brueckner
April 2022 – Brueckner formally made an “arguido”
May 2023 – Police search remote Algarve reservoir Brueckner called his “little paradise”
Helge claimed he had found horrific videos in Brueckner’s lair showing him raping an elderly woman and a girl as young as 13.
At the time, he did not report his findings to cops.
The judge also said Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan – one of Brueckner’s alleged victims – had contradicted herself in court with her account of how the suspect attacked her.
Behan came forward after she recognised him in photos after he was linked to Maddie’s disappearance.
She claims Brueckner — wearing a mask — tied her up and raped her three times in 2004 after climbing on to her balcony, also in the Algarve.
The rep – a mum-of-three – said she had recognised Brueckner due to his “piercing blue eyes”.
The judge added: “The media had reported already about Madeleine McCann and this influenced the witnesses.
“In that case it was not possible to convict the defendant for objective reasons.”
She said the witnesses had not been persuasive and had failed to remember all details.
A third count of rape had already been discontinued earlier in the trial.
Prosecutors have been preparing an appeal since July when a judge lifted the arrest warrant for Brueckner on the case – citing growing belief he may not be guilty.
Investigators are said to be furious with the way the court has approached the case and will ask Germany’s supreme court to send it for a retrial.
Without a new warrant – or Maddie or further charges being brought against him – he will be walking free next September.