Coming up on sixty minutes crunch time in the medal In McCann investigation. That is the golden nugget that they're looking for.
There's police zero in.
Scary, just scary. It's a danger for the public.
The brave woman who could shed new light. He recorded everything, this eighteen year mystery, the crime against me. I've been investigated. The Madeline would still be a homework her parents.
Welcome to the sixty Minutes podcast Extra Minutes Today we'll be talking about our story on the Medaline McCann case, the most high profile missing childcase in history. Joining me now is my colleague Nikki Nikola.
Thank you, thank you.
It is a story that's been ongoing with no ending.
Still no no ending, eighteen years on and no ending. See the reason why we're doing this story, you know, when we're doing it now, is because there's been a renewed search in Portugal and so obviously that's brought it back into the headlines in the last but yes, at this stage, still no answers as to where Madeline McCann is riding.
The highs and lows of you know, the poor families and the world that's interested and very sympathetic about this case. We've seen searches before, they've led nowhere. What's different about this one, in your opinion, is certainly about the timing of this one.
Well, the timing, I think is the important thing in this one is because a prime suspect, Christian Bruckner, is set to be released in September of this year. It's a race against the clock to try and keep him behind bars because even though he is the prime suspect, they have no forensic evidence to keep him locked up for Madeline McCann's case. So they are trying or that they can to keep him behind bars. And obviously this search is hoping to maybe come up with something. It's
wrapped up. We still have no answers. I mean, they have said that they have taken some things away. What that is, we don't really know. It's very you know. I've been talking to a few of reporters who are actually on the ground, and a lot of them don't
and actually know themselves what's happening. Everything is quite quiet, and I think a lot of people as well, reporters who have been involved in this case for a long time, have been taken back and shocked by the fact that this search has just kind of happened out of nowhere. A lot of people were surprised by the fact that, you know, all of a sudden they're searching again, and it comes at a big, big cost.
Yeah, three hundred thousand pounds yes, correct, two three days of searching.
Yeah.
The reporting around it was that it came after a tip off, But there is a desperation to it as well, and we're still trying to get to the bottom of that, aren't we. Yeah, did somebody inform on something?
Is it?
Because as you say, Chris John Bruckner is likely to walk free. Is eligible from September one last throw of the dice?
Totally?
Maybe all of it.
I think they are racing to try and find some kind of forensic evidence. They have the Sunday, this big investigation where they have lots of USB sticks with photographs and things like that on it, But we don't actually have any evidence that links to Mattie mccahn. So obviously they're trying to find something.
No physical or forensic in the form of DNA or fingerprints. It is the most fascinating scenario. You have the chief prosecutor saying we have evidence that Madeline McCann is dead and we have evidence that Christian Bruckner murdered her.
We have evidence, and we come to the conclusion that Melanie mckenn is dead and Christian b murdereder.
He has said that to the world, and yet they can't charge him. To think that this man who they believe has done this, it's a very brave thing to accuse somebody of murder, that he could walk free. And we know he is a bad man. I mean, he has a record as long as anyone's arm of hurting children, hurting women, terrible chats with other pedophiles. It is a scary prospect.
We interview Hazel be and she is an alleged rape victim of Christian Bruckner. It's a terrifying story. Her story is terrifying and she is obviously, you know, fronted court. She has forwarded her anonymity to talk about her case and sadly was acquitted in October last year.
Hazel is somebody that I've wanted to talk to for a long time. She's an Irish woman who when she was twenty so twenty one years ago in two thousand and four, so three years before Madeline McCann went missing. She was on a holiday working holiday in Portugal, not far from where Maddie and her family would end up twenty having the time of her life.
Yeah, living in an.
Apartment on her own. Comes home for the first time on her own. She's normally with a group of friends and the boyfriend at that time, falls asleep on the bed, fully dressed, wakes up to her name being called by a stranger.
Yeah, and she doesn't know how he knew her name. Frightening, terrifying. He was dressed all in black, when he had a mask in which he could see his eyes, was holding a knife.
How many times did he rape you?
Three?
Three times? Yeah, twice in my bedroom and once on the breakfast bar.
Did you think you'd survive?
Honestly? Now that's the truth. A man dressed in black with a knife, and he's carrying out these horrendous acts on you, and he clearly hates you. He clearly doesn't like you. He wants to hoart you. I don't think it's it will be wrong with me to say that I felt like I was gonna die.
Terrifying, Yeah, absolutely, Like worse nightmare, worst worst nightmare, And what happened for the next couple of hours after that is very distressing. The fact that she's a functioning, fighting, wonderful woman is extraordinary given what she went through. Because not only did she encounter Christian Ruckner is her allegation. Yes, this man who she identified because of his piercing blue eyes.
You know, back then she told Portuguese police he was German English speaking with a German accent, you have slim build, but he had these piercing blue eyes. And that's all she could see of him. But as much as she'd like to forget those eyes, she can't.
Yeah, to this day, she talks about it in the interview. Doesn't she that she can still, you know, picture those really piercing blue eyes.
Look.
I completely understand why maybe people in the public might say, how can you recognize someone by their eyes? I get it, Like, I completely understand.
But when all.
You can see of this person's their eyes, you don't have a choice fether or not you remember them. They're just there.
But not only does she have this awful, unimaginable experience with this man who she identified as Christian Brookner, but then she's treated a double blow, really by the Portuguese police, and they didn't believe her. They didn't investigate. According to her, the only investigation was to follow her around to see if she'd invited.
This sexual Yeah.
I just don't know. How resilient do you have to be?
Yeah, yeah, she said. At the time, obviously, you know, she went to police and like you said, they didn't believe her. She went to hospital, you know, had chexts as you do, and they just kind of wheeled her around and left her there. And you know, this is a twenty year old who is on a working holiday, has no close family there and she's just left. I
couldn't even imagine what she would have gone through. And you know, even to this day, I think, you know, anyone who's been through something like that, it has really affected her life, but also her family's life, friends, close friends of hers, you know, her mum and dad, her brothers and sisters. And back to the image. In twenty twenty, when it was released a picture of Christian Brukner, she
actually physically had a reaction to it. You know, she had to go into the bathroom and was sick because she saw this picture and she knew from looking at that that that was her alleged attacker.
Yeah, and she'd not made any allegations against anyone. So from two thousand and four to twenty and twenty, she didn't know who her attacker was. She didn't make any allegations. She thought that that person would never face justice. She
is adamant that he's the man who attacked her. I think what's interesting about her case though, too, is that she gives an insight into how the Portuguese police dealt with her and that investigation, and that is relevant and important in this because it gives us some insight into how the McCann family was treated. Yep, they were treated
as suspects in the disappearance of Maddie. And while that's a natural first step, she looking at people closest to the child because that's historically, yeah, where you will find your offenders, that it would appear. And so the accusation has been conduct that investigation properly, so forensic evidence could have been lost.
Yeah. Yeah. I mean even we spoke to Charlie Hedges in our story as well, and he talks about the fact that you know there were crime you know, certain areas that when they're investigating Maddie's case, where you know, people were just walking through crime scenes which they could have probably could have taped up earlier. You know, evidence, crucial evidence could have been tampered with if that's the case because of Portuguese authorities.
At the time. Did Portuguese police fail Madeline McCann.
Yes, I mean I think the initial actions were lacking. So maybe with a different approach we wouldn't be here talking about this now.
Getting it right. Is the difference between life and death.
Absolutely, As you said, Hazel went to the same police station and McCann's went to same police officers are dealing with similar things.
But she's striking back Cazel. She wants to make a difference, and she's now taken her complaint against the Portuguese authorities, correct, Yeah, the European cort of given Rights.
Yeah, yeah, she's lodged her application. I think for Hazel, she's doing it too as a sense of not necessarily closure, but I think she just wants the basic if someone is in a situation like this, you know, not that you'd want anyone. She wants people to be at least treated in a respectful manner, and that is a big
thing that she talks about. You know, obviously she can't take back what has happened to her, but at least if she can, you know, talk out and try and make some changes for any young person or anyone who is in a situation like this, that they are treated in a humane way. And that's mainly you know, her big message.
Remind them collect forensic evidence. There was forensic evidence in her apartment that was never collected. Bloodstones, fingernails.
Yeah, she went back and had to see all this.
If she's right, and as heard, she's adamant that Christian Ruckner is the man who raped her. Then that raises the questions so many what ifs if the police had taken her seriously, would he have been out to grab Maddie McCann and murder her as the German chief prosecutor believes he did.
Yeah, yeah, she says that in our interview, she says, you know, maybe if my case was investigated in a proper manner, perhaps Maddie would be at home now with her mum and dad.
That's a terrible thing. Yeah, if the Portuguese police had believed you, do you believe Madeline McCann would be here today?
Yes, I believe that Madeline would still be a homework her parents.
What do you think makes this search so desperate?
One could think maybe they've done this search to try and find something before it is too late. Yeah, September isn't too far away, no, of course.
And you know, legally they only get one chance at charging this man, or anyone, and I mean that's the law. That's the law here too. Yes, you know, if they charge him and because they don't have forensic evidence, they don't have strong enough material to convict him, then he walks around can never be charged again. This is part of their thinking that if they don't charge him, but they search and find something, then they have a stronger case.
You know, this is being seen as the final search, but of course any tip off, any admissions, could lead to further searches. Christian Vaulters, the chief prosecutor in Germany, said to me, this is it. This is the only person they're looking at. They have looked at everything else. There is nothing else to look at. So if he walks off into the night, never to be seen again, then this will remain an unsold case. And what is heartbreaking for many people is that they believe they know who did it.
Christian Brookner does have a history and they you know, there are lots of reports saying that he will if he's allowed to walk free, he will go to a country where there is no extradition or disappear and they'll never be able to chase up again. He's gone.
The one interesting thing, the one glimmer of hope, might be if that's the case, if that plays out that way, that there might be a chance that the UK might take some sort of action. The Portuguese is more unlikely, but that there is a way that we're yet to understand fully how that would work. But UK legal system will step in at some point. Yeah.
Yeah, And the Madeline McCann fund, they would just give an extra money only in April. Maybe another jurisdiction could step in and try and find something. I don't know, but otherwise, yeah, I think this search really is a race against time to try and find something, because, like you said, it is one of the world's most prolific missing person's case, and you know, people are searching fans is and for the fam, you know, the McCann's. You
couldn't even imagine what they're going through. And the glimmer of hope to have some kind of answers.
Yeah, every time. You can't imagine what they must be going through when their daughter's name hits the headlines. It again, another search is called and we hear nothing beyond her. There's a chance that the prosecutors have got it wrong. Certainly, the defense has said in other allegations against Christen Brugner that they were weak and he ends up being acquitted. Acquitted because, according to the judge, the initial investigation was
so poorly done. Yes, which again for Hazel behind is heartbreaking.
Yeah, heartbreaking, and I mean in that case as well, that's going through an appeal at the moment.
I know how brave is she and she sat in a room opposite this man who she said did monstrous things to her, made to sit in a position where she had eye contact with him, and the worst, she said, beyond you know, apart from what he did to her, what she alleges he did to her, this was the worst moment in her life. And she's prepared to go back in there and do it all again if there's a retrial.
She said in our interview that it was the worst. You know. In fact, she at one point, she didn't want to. She wanted to walk out and never walk back in there for day two.
She's very impressive and living the terrible impact of what she suffered as a twenty year old.
She said in again in our interview that that day she might not have died, but she's lost. Spiritually, she's gone.
You know.
And whether he killed me physically or not, spiritually, that was me. I was gone. I was done that day, you know. That was yeah, I didn't exist anymore.
Her spirit is strong though, and she's certainly worth watching, don't you think.
Hundred percent? Yeah, she's a very great chat speak so well, well, thank you, thank you, good fun working with you on this one twice.
Thank you. And if you want to see that story, if you missed it on Sunday night, check out the sixty minutes YouTube channel.