Madeleine McCann's parents' dignified two-sentence response as prime suspect cleared in Germany

Christian Brueckner, 47, who has been named as a prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, has been cleared in a separate sex attack trial in Braunschweig, Germany

Suspect Christian Brueckner was cleared of all charges in a separate sex attack case. The 47-year-old had been in trial in the country after being accused of raping women and exposing himself to children in the Algarve, Portugal.

The charges are unconnected to the Madeleine case, which paedophile Breuckner denies any involvement in. German and British police in 2020 named him as a prime suspect in Madeleine's May 2007 disappearance.

The three-year-old vanished from an apartment in Praia da Luz while her parents Kate and Gerry, from Rothley, Leicestershire, had been dining with friends. Prosecutors previously claimed to know Madeleine is dead, but have not shared what evidence they have for this claim.

After Breuckner was cleared, a source close to Kate and Gerry said today: "They will not be commenting on Breuckner. They have never commented on him."

A breakthrough had appeared to have happened three years prior, when Helge Busching, a former friend of Breuckner, called Scotland Yard with information. He claimed Brueckner had told him "she didn't scream" when the pair discussed the case in a Spanish bar back in 2008.

Giving evidence in court, Detective Constable Mark Draycott recalled how he rang him back the following day. "Back then we still had a public phone number which was publicised around the world,” he said.

“Members of the public could ring in information in relation to Operation Grange, the Madeleine McCann investigation. One of my jobs was to check the answer phone messages. On May 18th I checked the answer phone and there was a message.

“It was from a male by the sound of his voice, he spoke good English and he asked to speak to David Edgar (private investigator). He said he had information and he left a Greek mobile number.

“I then rang this Greek mobile number and spoke to a male I now know to be Helge Lars Busching He referred to himself as Lars and he gave information in relation to the Madeleine McCann investigation.”

Busching, who has terminal cancer, was a witness in the case at Braunschweig regional court, in north central Germany, which started in February. He previously described the paedophile as "really dangerous."

He said: “He must be brought to justice and he must be punished. We were not good friends back then and we will certainly never be good friends in the future.”