Madeleine McCann Suspect Accused of Playing Cat and Mouse with German Police
Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has been accused of engaging in a deliberate "game of cat and mouse" with German police officers tasked with his surveillance. The convicted paedophile, aged 49, has been under constant 24-hour police watch since his release from jail in September last year, but authorities report he has repeatedly tested their patience with evasive tactics.
Repeated Moves and Evasion Attempts
Brueckner has just relocated for at least the fourth time since his release, moving from the city of Braunschweig further north to the Schleswig-Holstein region. Police spokesperson Lars Dehnert confirmed that Brueckner "regularly played a game of cat and mouse with the police" and was clearly displeased with the ongoing surveillance in Braunschweig. According to reports, his behaviour has been particularly provocative when drinking alcohol.
In one notable incident, Brueckner briefly managed to escape officers on a bicycle before dialling the German emergency number to mockingly ask where his police escort had gone. Additionally, sources indicate he has boasted about sneaking out of his recent residence under cover of darkness without detection, despite wearing a monitoring tag as part of his release conditions.
Background and Legal Context
Brueckner is German prosecutors' prime suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. He was previously jailed for seven years for raping a 72-year-old US pensioner in the same Algarve resort where Madeleine went missing. Since his release last September, he has spent months drifting across northern Germany, initially registering as homeless in Neumünster before being provided housing.
However, his presence has sparked local backlash, including petitions and threats from residents, forcing police to move him multiple times. He lived in a tent in a forest in Kiel and later a container, but stayed only briefly before returning to Braunschweig, where he occupied a two-room flat near a kiosk he once owned.
Ongoing Legal Proceedings and Risk Assessment
Last year, Brueckner was tried in Braunschweig on three further rape charges and two counts of child abuse, unrelated to the McCann case, but was acquitted. During that trial, a psychological expert described him as belonging to the "absolute top league of dangerous offenders" and warned that if released, his probability of committing another serious offence within two years could be between 30 and 50 per cent.
The acquittal is not yet final, as prosecutors in Braunschweig have appealed the verdict, and the case is now under review by Germany's Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig. Brueckner continues to deny any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance, stating, "There will be no charges against me in the Maddie case. That is because I am innocent."
Police have confirmed that surveillance duties have been handed over to authorities in his new location, as he remains a key figure in one of the most high-profile missing person cases in recent history.
