Prime suspect boasted of abducting Madeleine McCann, court hears

A German court has heard that the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, Christian B, boasted about abducting a young girl in Portugal. Due to German privacy laws, his surname cannot be published. German investigators suspect Christian B of abducting and killing three-year-old Madeleine McCann from her parents’ holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.

Christian B currently faces trial for unrelated sex offences in Portugal, including three rapes and two instances of exposing himself and masturbating in front of children.

On Tuesday, at Braunschweig Regional Court, Romanian national Laurentiu Codin, 50, who shared a prison cell with Christian B in 2020, recounted a story mirroring the night Madeleine disappeared. Codin claimed Christian B told him he had been in a wealthy area in Portugal, found an open window, and entered the flat looking for money. Not finding any, he took a child instead. He mentioned that two hours later, police and dogs surrounded the area while he drove away with the child. Christian B allegedly inquired if a child’s DNA could be used as evidence.

Madeleine McCann suspect ‘confessed to abducting young girls to cellmate’ https://t.co/s90HMwp3rB pic.twitter.com/r1icbDZysl

— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) September 25, 2024

Codin also testified that Christian B spoke about using a van to have sex with young girls near Hanover. He mentioned one girl, noting that Christian B said he had taken her in a bus but did not kill her. The girl was described as very young, possibly between nine and thirteen years old.

Codin made several other claims, including that Christian B had sex with an elderly woman after hitting and strangling her, as this was his preference. He also mentioned that Christian B asked him about the traceability of a strand of hair and about the cost of a fraudulent passport to re-enter Portugal.

Christian B’s lawyer, Philipp Marquart, refuted these claims, stating they were new and contradictory. Codin affirmed in court that Christian B had inquired about prices for a falsified passport, which he needed to return to Portugal.

Christian Brueckner confessed to a former cellmate that he abducted Madeline McCann from the vacation apartment during a break-in.

Christian supposedly asked Laurentiu Codin if he was also behind bars for child offenses. Christian then begged him to burn down his property when… pic.twitter.com/Xey8Xqaa9c

— Rose (@901Lulu) September 25, 2024

In court, Christian B also watched a video showing the scenes of the apartment in Portugal where Madeleine disappeared in 2007. The footage included interviews with Kate and Gerry McCann, and a clip from Aktenzeichen XY, Germany’s equivalent of Crimewatch, where the German Federal Criminal Police (BKA) launched a public appeal for information on Christian B, showing photos of his house and cars.

The video was played at the request of Christian B’s lawyer, Dr Friedrich Fulscher, who argued it was necessary to understand how media reports might lead witnesses to misinterpret the defendant’s behaviour. The prosecution objected, questioning the video’s relevance.

Codin’s testimony against Christian B comes amid indications that the defendant could be acquitted. Presiding Judge Uta Inse Engemann, whom the prosecution has attempted to remove for alleged bias in favour of the defence, has stated that there is no longer sufficient suspicion of guilt for all charges.