Woman who alleges Madeleine McCann suspect raped her at knifepoint 'fears' his release from prison
Christian Bruckner, 48, is due to be released from jail in Germany in September after serving his sentence for rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Portugal.
An woman who alleges she was raped at knifepoint by the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann says she fears he will seek her out following his release from prison.
Christian Bruckner, 48, is due to be freed from a German jail in September after completing his sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old US woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2005.
Hazel Behan, 41, from Ireland, who has waived her right to anonymity, said she fears the German man will 'hunt her down'.
Brueckner was acquitted by a German court in relation to the charge of violent rape of Ms Behan at her apartment in Praia da Rocha in Portugal's Algarve.
She told The Sun: 'His sentence may be ending but mine never did. I have lived with fear every day for 21 years.
'Fear that I'll see him. Fear that he'll find out where I live and hunt me down. I also have fear that he'll do to someone else what he did to me.
'I've called him out in a public forum and I have genuine concern he could confront me.
'I wouldn't put anything past a person like him.
'If he is released, I will worry for every woman and child who, like me, believes the justice system is protecting them.
'A leopard doesn't change his spots.'
Later this year Ms Behan expects to discover the outcome of her High Court appeal in Germany against his acquittal for raping her, another woman and a girl in Portugal in 2004.
Ms Behan has accused the Portuguese authorities of alleged 'inaction' in identifying and prosecuting Brueckner.
In April, she lodged an application to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) against the Portuguese authorities over their handling of her attack.
Ms Behan also expressed her sympathy and support for the Leicestershire-based family of Madeleine who went missing in Praia da Luz while on holiday with her family in 2007 when she was three years old.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
'As a parent, I cannot begin to imagine what they have gone through and continue to go through every day for the past 18 years,' she said.
German and Portuguese police and firefighters carried out a three-day search of an area near Praia da Luz last week in the latest efforts to find out what happened to the missing child.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Southport monster has tests in prison to see if he's 'mad not bad'
Axel Rudakubana was jailed for a minimum of 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport Triple child killer Axel Rudakubana is being considered for a move from prison to a "cushy" secure hospital, it is understood. The 18-year-old murderer has reportedly had assessments with therapists and psychologists over whether he is "mad not bad" and, if the fiend is cleared for treatment in a mental health unit he could be transferred to a different jail. Currently in HMP Belmarsh, a tough Category A prison, Rudakubana will move to either Broadmoor, Ashworth or Rampton hospitals. Inmates at these - England's three top-secure psychiatric units - are treated as "patients" rather than prisoners, with a focus on their therapy. But this has caused anger, not least as The Mirror has reported last month Rudakubana, from Banks, Lancashire, already has privileges amid his "cushy life" in jail. He requests treats such as Maltesers and McCoy's - and has them delivered to his cell by prison guards whom are colleagues of an officer Rudakubana recently scolded with boiling water. "If he was moved, he would be kept in better conditions, with all the rooms single ones and less restrictions on things like TV and DvDs plus visitors... If you are serving a sentence as long as his, you would want to be in a secure hospital unit rather than prison. No officer at Belmarsh believes he is mentally ill but he says the right things in meetings," a source said last night. Any move would also hit the taxpayer with a much higher bill – of £325,000 per year compared to £57,000 in prison - for Rudakubana's care. The yob is serving at least 52 years for killing Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, Alice Aguiar, nine, and six-year-old Bebe King last summer. Speaking to The Sun, the source added: "Conversations are happening now about his future, after he was being assessed by therapists, psychologists and other medical experts. He is very keen for a move because but others at Belmarsh think he is gaming the system." When the teenager was sentenced in January, it was revealed he had been under the care of an NHS mental health service between 2019 and 2023 - until he "stopped engaging". The fiend has been held under strict conditions at Belmarsh, which is in southeast London, but he somehow was able to attack the guard in May. Rudakubana was allowed a kettle and is believed to have used it to boil water ahead of the "serious assault," after which the officer needed treatment in hospital. He has since returned to work, it is understood. Ministry of Justice sources told The Sun initial assessments had started – but said no hospital referral had been "initiated" or was ongoing.
Daily Record
4 hours ago
- Daily Record
Cole Cooper's family say 'worst fears have become reality' after confirming teen's death
Cole Cooper's have spoken out for the first time after a body was discovered in Banknock on Friday afternoon. The shattered family of Cole Cooper say their "worst fears have become reality" after sharing the devastating news that a body found in the search for the missing teenager has been confirmed as the 19-year-old. Cole's loved ones were made aware of the discovery in a wooded area near Kilsyth Road in Banknock, Falkirk, at around 4.15pm on Friday, after a desperate five-week search. Police said at the time that formal identification was yet to take place but his family spoke for the first time on Sunday to confirm Cole had been found. His devastated auntie Aimee Tennie, speaking on behalf of Cole's family, posted an emotional tribute on social media, writing: 'With shattered hearts, we share the devastating news that our beloved Cole, who was missing, has been found—but not in the way we hoped or prayed for. "Our worst fears have become reality, and we are now living a nightmare we can't wake up from.' Aimee said the family never gave up hope during the search and have vowed to continue seeking justice and answers. She wrote: "Cole. Our boy. We fought for you for almost five weeks. Why? How? So many questions… and still, no answers. "We never gave up, and we will never give up—not until we have the answers. The fight for truth, for justice, and for Cole is not over.' Aimee continued: 'The world didn't get to know the light you carried, but we did—and we will carry it with us, always.' Cole, from Banknock, was last seen on May 7 on the A803 near Cumbernauld Road in Longcroft, when he asked a school friend for a lift, which he was not given. Prior to that, he was captured on alarming ring doorbell footage on the morning of Sunday, May 4, at around 6am in the Longcroft area. He was filmed trying to access his father's house unsuccessfully. He was reported missing on Friday, May 9. More than 400 people were spoken to during door-to-door inquiries, while over 2,000 hours of CCTV were reviewed. Police previously treated the case as a missing person investigation rather than a criminal inquiry. They still haven't released a formal statement confirming the body found on Friday is Cole. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. His family also paid tribute to the community who stood by them during the agonising search. A vigil is being planned in Cole's honour, with the family saying they want to tell him about the outpouring of love he inspired. Aimee said: 'To the incredible community and beyond, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts. Your support through this horrendous experience has meant more than words can ever say. 'He didn't deserve any of this. But the least we can do as a family is honour him the way he deserved. We will post details at a later date.' They have also asked for privacy as they come to terms with the loss. Aimee said: 'As a family we are completely broken by this news so we would appreciate privacy at this time.'
Daily Mirror
5 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Maddie McCann suspect's 'chilling encounter that could've saved young Brit'
Hazel Behan was 20 years old when a man wearing a balaclava and wielding a blade broke into her apartment in Praia da Luz and violently raped her three times The woman who claims to have survived a gruelling sex attack at the hands of the main suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance has spoken in detail about the violent attack. Irish national Hazel Behan, then 20, was in Praia da Luz in Portugal for a working holiday back in 2004, but rather than an idyllic vacation, she suffered a brutal and prolonged assault at the hands of the sexual deviant. Hazel was sleeping alone when Brueckner is said to have broken in to her apartment and raped her. Speaking to 60 Minutes, Hazel explained: " I laid in bed and I fell asleep, [when] I was woken by somebody calling my name." Oblivious as to how the stranger knew her name, she awoke to see a balaclava-clad man standing over her, blade in hand. "I thought I was going to die," Hazel said. "He stood above me with the knife so I just thought he was going to just chop my head off. That sounds so dramatic but that's exactly what was going through my head." The man, thought to be Brueckner, then dragged the young woman across the room and raped her three times - one on the breakfast bar and twice in her bedroom. He also beat her with a black leather whip he had apparently brought with him, and even filmed the horror ordeal, Hazel said. The attacker then fled and never returned, but the trauma of that night still haunts Hazel 21 years later. "Whether he killed me physically or not, spiritually, I was gone. I was done that day. I didn't exist anymore," she said. Hazel reported the assault to local police who she accused of being dismissive of what had happened to her. Her bedsheets were covered in blood and her fingernails, but she said police failed to collect the evidence. Hazel said they continued to follow her for the next few weeks to analyse her behaviour. She believes they were checking if she was sexually promiscuous or not. The Irish woman first became entangled in the Madeleine McCann case when UK police shared a picture of prime suspect Christian Brueckner. Hazel - who has waived her right to anonymity - claimed she knew on first sight that Brueckner was the same violent rapist who attacked her in 2004, three years before Madeleine's disappearance. She took the allegations to a German court, where she provided painstaking detail about the attack, but the convicted paedophile was acquitted. The reason for his acquittal was a lack of evidence, but Hazel is sure it's the same man - and believes the reason he was let loose was because of the failures of Portuguese police to collect the DNA evidence that could have him banged to rights. Hazel is also sure that Brueckner is responsible for Madeleine's disappearance. She said: "I believe he's the person who took her. I believe he's the person who carried out crimes on me. If they had investigated my crime, I believe that Madeleine would still be at home with her parents." Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday in the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal on May 3 2007. Fast forward 18 years and there has been no positive sighting and no one has been charged with her abduction, but her parents have never given up hope. Following the latest search for Madeleine this week which saw German and Portuguese police descended on several properties in an area of southern Portugal close to Praia da Luz several detectives have had their say on the latest developments in the case. Former British Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, who has worked on some of the world's most high profile missing persons cases, has given his take on the new searches for Madeleine McCann. He started the six-minute rant on X by saying: "So no surprise the search in Portugal has come to nothing. I said it would, the information they were working on was very, very sketchy, nothing concrete at all. That area had been searched previously; it was really a pointless exercise." He added: "I do find it very interesting when over the last couple of days I've read articles in newspapers and you've got certain individuals out there saying this is really strong information, this is the best, yeah this is likely to be the breakthrough. I was very clear from the beginning, I said it's not going to happen, it's not going to be a breakthrough."
