BERLIN, GERMANY: In an unprecedented public interview, the man who alerted authorities to Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, has made shocking claims about Brueckner's alleged involvement and the response of Scotland Yard. Key witness Helge Busching revealed how he stumbled upon harrowing sexual abuse videos and shared his encounters with Brueckner, shedding new light on the ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the young British girl in Portugal.
A Disturbing Discovery
Speaking to the German outlet Bild, Busching explained that he became aware of Brueckner's dark side before Madeleine's disappearance. Along with an accomplice, he had stolen some videotapes and a gun from Brueckner's house, which contained disturbing footage of sexual abuse. The clips allegedly showed Brueckner torturing a teenage girl in Portugal and an old American woman
"You could see how someone whipped the woman. She was tied up, lying on the bed, wearing painted ski goggles... must have been 70 or 80 years old. She shouted, 'You fucking b******!' Then I saw it was Brueckner. [The teenage victim] said, 'This borders on rape!' And he just said, 'Shut up.' That's when I knew what kind of guy Brueckner was," Busching recounted.
Years later, in 2008, Busching crossed paths with Brueckner again at a music festival in Spain. During their conversation, the topic of Madeleine's disappearance arose. "He asked me, 'Don't you go to Portugal anymore and do business there?' I said, 'No, since the girl disappeared there, there have been too many police checks for me and I don't need that at all.' The topic [of Madeleine's disappearance] came up and I said, 'Anyway, I don't understand how the little one could have disappeared without a trace,'" In response, Brueckner, who had consumed several beers, allegedly said, "She didn't scream."
This statement left Busching convinced that Brueckner had some involvement in the case. "He knows that. He has something to do with it," Busching thought. "But he also checked that I understood that and then left at night. At 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, he left a packed festival with his mobile home. I looked for him the next morning, but his neighbors said he had left."
Authorities' Response
Busching claimed to have approached German authorities with the videotapes but received discouraging advice. "I spoke to a police officer I know in Germany. He said, 'Helge, keep your hands off it.' A lawyer told me the same thing. I wasn't sure what could happen to me - I would have incriminated myself!" Busching recalled. Furthermore, he revealed that he contacted Scotland Yard in 2008 through the dedicated hotline for Madeleine McCann tips but received no response. It wasn't until 2017, after serving a prison sentence in Greece, that Busching reached out to Scotland Yard once again, this time catching their attention. "Then they listened to me," he added.
The disappearance of Madeleine McCann in May 2007 has remained an unsolved mystery for the past 16 years, with no body ever found. Last month, investigators focused their efforts on a reservoir in the Algarve, searching for the videotapes, a camcorder, and the gun discarded by Busching and his accomplice, Manfred Seyferth. An area of approximately 160 square feet was meticulously examined, with sections flattened and cleared of vegetation. Several holes were dug into the ground, and soil samples were taken for further analysis at a laboratory in Wiesbaden, where the country's investigative force, the BKA, is located.
The Algarve Connection
Busching and Seyferth, both living in the Algarve at the same time as Brueckner, had been involved in petty theft with him before their falling out. The video camera footage allegedly showed Brueckner torturing and raping an American woman, as well as a young girl approximately 15 years old. Brueckner was later convicted in 2019 for the rape of an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz, close to where Madeleine vanished, and received a seven-year sentence. Despite the conviction, Brueckner vehemently denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance.