Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeline McCann, wanted to “take in little girls” and was keen to “foster children”, his ex-girlfriend said in court.
The 47-year-old is currently facing trial in the German city of Braunschweig. The case, which is unrelated to Maddie, sees him accused of five counts of sexual assault in Portugal between 2000 and 2007.
His ex-partner, who dated the suspect for two years between 2005 and 2007, said that Brueckner knew that the German state pays a lot of money to foster parents.
She said that Brueckner thought of the plan whilst he was dating a previous ex-girlfriend who was taking Portuguese children into foster care.
Christian Brueckner allegedly wanted to 'take in little girls', according to his ex-girlfriend
PA/ReutersThe travel agent, named in court as Marina F, met Brueckner in 2005, whilst visiting her father who had a holiday home in Praia da Luz, the resort where Madeleine went missing in May 2007.
The 65-year-old said that Brueckner, who was almost 20 years her junior, revealed to her at the end of their relationship that he wanted to take in little girls to his home.
He said that there were Germans he “wanted to look after” and the state would pay him well for his role as a foster parent.
She told the court: “Christian wanted to take in little girls… he wanted to foster children.”
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Madeleine McCann was last seen in 2007 in PortugalPA“I got the feeling that he already had a little girl in the house,” she added.
The court had been shown a letter from Brueckner to Marina F, which he wrote to her whilst he was in prison, asking her to help him in cleaning up his apartment.
He requested that she remove incriminating items from his flat after he had been arrested with friend Michael Tatschl for fuel theft in 2006.
Brueckner had written in the letter: “The police are stupid, but if they find it I’m the stupid one.”
Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann caseGETTYThe convicted sex offender is on trial for the rape of a woman in her 70s in her home in the Algarve and the rape and sexual assault of a teenage girl.
He also faces allegations that he raped a young woman at knifepoint in her home in 2004 - an act he is accused of recording on video.
The court also heard that he masturbated in front of a girl at a playground in Messines in June 2017 and faces claims he did the same in front of another girl, on Salema beach, Portugal, in April 2007.
Brueckner's lawyers say his current trial faces worldwide prejudice following constant allegations he took the toddler in 2007.