Can't find the thread on missing Madeleine (hope I have spelt her name correct)

[notsodimwit]

Can't find the tread

Wouldn’t he be tried in Portugal for MM though?

Well, Brückner was apparently 'sentenced to seven years for the 2005 attack [of the 72 yea old US tourist in Portugal] at a district court in Braunschweig [Germany] in 2019', so, not necessarily, it seems.

Alwaystalks500
You wrote
"It is strange that such an obvious suspect would just have been overlooked over years of thorough investigations when he would have been in such close proximity.
Very strange indeed.
Almost too strange."

I agree 100%

Look at all those who have suffered because of the Portugese police actions or inactions.

German citizens can be tried in Germany for any crimes regardless of where they are committed.

The technicality with the rape, is he was brought back to German to face drugs charges. Then they pinned the rape on him.
You shouldn't face charges for a crime other than what you were extradited for.

Just read an interview of Wolters in the Focus magazine (2 days old, German), and it looks like they hope to build a case in the next months, before he is released in early 2021 (hoping he won‘t be released early in this situation). They are apparently sure CB did it, but hope for more hints to have a case they can prosecute. It is still possible that they will not be able to prosecute, without additional information. And they hope they can tie him to other cases...

The bottom line seems to be that they hope to find enough evidence on any case, so he won‘t get out ever again, with a ‚Sicherheitverwahrung‘ following any release from prison. (Basically keeping him locked up even after he has completed his sentence, because he is too dangerous to release). Their biggest fear seems to be that he ever gets out again.

After that interview I am not hopeful he will be locked up or even tried for MM. On the other hand, I wonder, if the sentence for the rape of the 72 year old American together with a conviction for the Irish woman (same modus operandi, she might recognize his voice...) couldn‘t be enough to lock CB away for good. From a distance this looks to me like the most promising path...

Has anyone watched the documentary on Netflix "who killed Gregory?" Despite him being murdered and a body quickly found, there were a lot of interesting parallels in how his family - especially his mother - were treated in the media

Is there a presumption of innocence until proven guilty in German and Portugese law ?
Here in Ireland CB's lawyers would be claiming he couldn't get a fair trial because of media reporting and he would get off.

He won't have a jury trial - someone did explain, but I can't remember the explanation

And a panel of judges aren't (shouldn't be) influenced in the same way a jury would be

Awful for the family if they are left with police saying 'we think CB did it' and the terrible connotations of that but without the concrete proof. The trolls will never stop. Although the worst ones wont stop whatever happens anyway I suppose.

At the very least I hope they get him for something. He is an incredibly dangerous man.

I will be awful for any family to be told we are 95% sure he did it but don't have the evidence to pin it on him.

Here in Ireland CB's lawyers would be claiming he couldn't get a fair trial because of media reporting...

I should note that reporting in German language media is for the most part very different from what is going down in English language media - way more circumspect, and also Wolters chose his words carefully in that interview. He actually explained there, that they asked questions in relation to his cars and phone numbers and all without naming him, in order to get potential witnesses to come forward without naming the suspect.

Obviously there is the danger of spillover, as some German yellow press newspapers now report by citing Daily Mail or Sun articles (with a link to the publication) and basically just ripping off the translated article. It is quite absurd to see a GERMAN paper write that according to the Daily Mail a GERMAN prosecuter said this and that...

This might actually really blow up in the prosecution's face, even though it may be less of an issue here than with jury trials. (Juries are used when the expected penalty is no more than 4 years, I think).

Anyone think the guy in the Daily Fail today looks like the “ ugly” guy in the police sketch that was hanging around the Ocean Club??

Arwen, you mean the Austrian guy, Michael T., who stole gasoline together with CB? I actually didn't think he looked similar (unless I mean a different sketch?). Apparently he was interviewed by the (Austrian) police in Graz a year back on behest of the Germans and was surprised that CB was not arrested right afterwards or something...

(German language: steiermark.orf.at/stories/3054304/)

So, CB - whom he considered a pervert with sexual issues the whole time - back then told him he'd like to sell kids to Morocco for money and all, and the guy didn't go to police when a kid disappeared right where they lived?!? I am at a loss.

Something tells me that Austrian guy has a screw loose.
Why wait until after CB was named to talk to the police / sell his story to the papers. If he really did know?

Even the bit about stealing Rolex watches, just doesn't make sense. How many people just leave those lying loose in holiday apartments or hotel rooms? They'd either be in the room safe or on the owner's wrist.

Something tells me that Austrian guy has a screw loose.

I do think he likes to bask in the drama of having known CB and may be prone to exaggeration. He did talk to police a year ago, though, but only after they sought him out, according to Austrian public bradcasting. (It is a small wonder that he didn't run to the papers right after that police interview back then, I guess).

I hope whatever he told authorities is worth something. I also hope, this guy is not a 'crucial piece of the puzzle' or something in the assessment of Wolters...

@deepwatersolo I was thinking of the thin faced guy with the large nose.
Yeah it’s odd, pure conjecture from his “best mate” but the one point he did make which hasn’t come to light yet is the German woman 20 years his senior that CB was living with at the time. The previous news reports his girlfriend as the waitress who he told he had a “ horrible job to do”

This guy seems dodgy af. He gave an interview to a Portuguese paper in which he says whilst they were being held on remand CB asked friends to go and remove the loot hidden in the house, the friends found the video camera with the rape, told Michael & he told them to burn the camera.
So why in the next breath did he say he went to police to report the rape.
He contradicts himself regarding drug dealing, initially saying he went along with CB but then says CB followed him to Spain because he wanted to use his contacts for drug supply.
It must be making the polices job 10x harder with all these people looking to sell a story.

Arewedone - do you mean the guy in the suit jacket holding the dog? That's CB.

@Blackbear19, this person was seen allegedly watching the apartment.

He was living with Brückner in PDL and was in prison with him for stealing diesel.

I could see those sketches. Could be the same guy but hair is different.
It might also explain why he kept quiet. The police are closing in so divert the attention away from himself.

That was meant to read couldn't see

But there has been 13 years since the drawing so quite possibly he has lost his hair . It’s just fishy that he claims to have left PDL 3 weeks before MM was taken and then 3 weeks later CB drives to stay with him in Spain. He knows more than he’s saying imo.

Here’s a news story from that time

Curious to know if the artist shading around the neck was the tattoo on his neck or just artistic license?

It could well be the tattoo.

It's just shocking how little the Portuguese police actually looked at this stuff.