Exclusive: Paedophile Network Linked to Madeleine McCann's Disappearance Feared

Strategic Insights -

British detectives are taking seriously claims that a notorious paedophile network linked to serial killer Marc Dutroux ordered the kidnap of Madeleine McCann. A former Belgian official, who led the inquiry into Dutroux, believes the disappearance of the three-year-old in 2007 may have been a case of "stolen to order." The claims come as prime suspect Christian Brueckner is set to be released from jail tomorrow, and his lawyers have rejected a bid to have him tagged and issued with strict release conditions.

Key Takeaways:

  • A former Belgian official, Marc Verwilghen, who led the inquiry into serial killer Marc Dutroux, believes that Madeleine McCann's disappearance may have been a case of "stolen to order" by a paedophile network linked to Dutroux.
  • The claims come as prime suspect Christian Brueckner is set to be released from jail tomorrow, and his lawyers have rejected a bid to have him tagged and issued with strict release conditions.
  • British detectives are taking seriously the claims that a paedophile network linked to Dutroux ordered the kidnap of Madeleine McCann.
  • The network is said to be linked to a gang of traffickers that could be connected to the disappearance of Madeleine, who was three when she vanished while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
  • A Belgian police warning first emerged in 2008 when a fax was released as part of a bundle of files surrounding the McCann case, which suggested that a paedophile ring in Belgium made an order for a young girl three days before Madeleine went missing.
  • The theory that Madeleine was stolen to order rather than being snatched by a "lone wolf" is being investigated by British detectives, with a source close to the German investigation stating that "there is not interest in the network, that creates too many new agencies and they want to keep their focus on the current suspect."
  • Christian Brueckner, 48, was living in the Algarve at the time Madeleine went missing and is due to be freed from jail today after serving a sentence for raping a woman aged 72.

Statistics:

  • 68: The age of Marc Dutroux, who abducted, raped, and murdered girls in Belgium in the 1990s.
  • 48: The age of Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
  • 1996: The year Marc Dutroux was arrested.
  • 2004: The year Marc Dutroux was jailed for life.
  • 2007: The year Madeleine McCann went missing.
  • 2008: The year a Belgian police warning first emerged about a paedophile ring in Belgium making an order for a young girl three days before Madeleine went missing.
  • 72: The age of the woman raped by Christian Brueckner.

Sources:

  • The Sun: "Paedophile network linked to Madeleine McCann's disappearance feared"
  • Channel 4: "Madeleine McCann: The Investigated Life"