Christian Brueckner, the primary suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, had “psychopathic traits”, his former lawyer has said.
Serafim Vieira, who worked as a legal representative for the 44-year old German sex offender, also claimed in an interview with Portugal’s RTP TV that he believes that Brueckner could be behind McCann's abduction.
“I believe he could be behind the disappearance of Maddie," he said. “I can’t say he didn’t have a psychopathic temperament - on the contrary," Mr. Vieira worked for Brueckner in 2006 following his arrest for stealing diesel from HGVs in Portugal’s Algarve - a year before Madeline went missing."
The lawyer suggested that he may have admitted his guilt to that crime to prevent police from searching a farmhouse near Praia da Luz, Portugal where he lived. Law enforcement were therefore unaware of Brueckner's residency there when they conducted their search for McCann in 2007.
Madeleine disappeared in May, 4 months after Brueckner's release and just before her fourth birthday. This sparked a worldwide search which has involved British, Portuguese, and German police.
After more than a decade of investigation, German law enforcement revealed that Brueckner was their main suspect in the McCann disappearance.
A mobile phone call to the suspect placed him in the Praia da Luz area, which she disappeared from on the night in question.
German authorities are looking into any potential involvement by staff at the complex where the McCanns stayed to see if they gave any of the McCann's residency details.
“We are investigating if an Ocean Club member of staff helped the suspect on the night Madeleine disappeared,", said Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor leading the investigation.
“This is of interest to us. The phone call made by the suspect could be between him and a member of staff who told him when to break into the McCanns’ apartment".
While 2 workers in the complex with criminal records have been interviewed by Portuguese authorities, there is so far no evidence they worked with Brueckner.
Gerry and Kate McCann were on a vacation in Praia da Luz with their three children when their daughter went missing.
They had been dining with a group of friends in a restaurant nearby, while the children slept in the apartment. Throughout the evening, the adults returned to check on them but at around 10pm, Mrs McCann discovered that Madeleine was missing.
German investigators have informed the McCann's that they believe Madeleine is dead.
