Irish woman ‘in fear' ahead of release of Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner
An Irishwoman who alleged she was raped at knifepoint by the main suspect in the disappearance of toddler Madeleine McCann says she fears he will seek her out following his release from prison.
Christian Brueckner, 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, 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.
(Image: Phil Harris)
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.
(Image: PA)
"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.
Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. 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. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice .
For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Body found in search for missing man after another in his 60s dies in horror boat crash near popular UK beach
BOAT TRAGEDY Body found in search for missing man after another in his 60s dies in horror boat crash near popular UK beach A BODY has been found in the search for a man who went missing after a boat was involved in a severe fatal collision. The man had gone missing following the horrific crash involving a rigid hulled inflatable boat - that killed another man - near Tipner, Portsmouth, at around 7.20pm on Thursday. Emergency services rushed to the scene that evening, quickly taking a man in his 60s to hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. A major search was launched that evening for the missing man, also aged in his 60s. Tragically, police have confirmed they recovered a body yesterday morning. In an update today, they said: "The body of a man was found yesterday morning (Tuesday 19 August), following a collision involving a private rigid hulled inflatable boat near Tipner in Portsmouth at around 7.20pm on Thursday 14 August. "While formal identification has not yet taken place, the man's family have been informed and continue to be supported by specially trained officers. "A file will be prepared for the coroner. "Police and the man's family would like to thank everyone who shared our appeal, contacted us with information or helped with the searches. "The family of man in his 60s from Emsworth, who was subsequently pronounced dead in hospital on Thursday following the incident, also continue to be supported by specially trained officers." Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Abbie Leeson said: "We are aware the community has been both saddened and shocked by this incident and we want to reassure you that our enquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing." More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Man arrested in connection with murder of Irish Rail worker Ian Walsh in Carrick-on-Suir
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of Irish Rail employee Ian Walsh, who was found dead at his home in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary, on August 4. The man is being questioned at Clonmel Garda Station after his arrest earlier today in connection with the 49-year-old's death. He can be detained for up to 24 hours before being released or charged. Mr Walsh was found with stab wounds in a downstairs room of his home in Ravenswood Estate on Cregg Road. There was no sign of forced entry at the property. Gardaí believe the killer was known to him and that Mr Walsh may have admitted the person to the house. An autopsy examination by State Pathologist Dr Yvonne McCartney confirmed he died by violent means. Mr Walsh was last seen alive on the evening of August 1. A cremation service took place on August 12 at the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy, Co Cork. In a statement, Irish Rail described Mr Walsh as a well-known and popular colleague, both in his work in catering and signalling, and for his passion for railway and transport tourism and heritage. The Táilté Tours team expressed deep sadness at his death, describing him as a 'signaller at Cork station and a huge supporter' of their rail tour operation. They said: 'Ian ran five railtours of his own over the course of the mid to late 2000s, and was very much a pioneer in 'outside the box' tours in Ireland, starting them from locations such as Waterford and Limerick, in an era when tours were generally based in Dublin or Belfast. "He was more than happy to pass his experience and expertise on when we started operations a few years ago; for those of you who enjoyed the 'surprise' rare track moves on our Cork-based railtours, you can thank Ian, who went far beyond the extra mile to ensure our operations went off without a hitch. "He had a wonderful knowledge of the Iarnród Éireann system and its people, and had also developed a passion for Bus Éireann operations, diligently recording the last runs on several rural routes in the south east as they disappeared, quickly becoming a friend to bus drivers in the Cork and Waterford areas.'
Irish Independent
5 hours ago
- Irish Independent
The Indo Daily: Secret messages, codewords and a phone smashed with an axe – The Irishman caught in 'biggest corporate espionage case of the century'
Earlier this year a spy trail of secret messages, codewords and a phone smashed with an axe unfolded in front of the High Court in an extraordinary tale of alleged corporate espionage. The story of Dublin man Keith O'Brien made international headlines when his employer, a major US HR services firm, set a 'trap' to identify how confidential information was being leaked – and the saga is not over yet. His 13-page confession was read to the High Court, where he told how he spied on his multinational employer for a rival for a fee of over €5,000 a month. That is, until he was caught. In an affidavit filed with the High Court, Keith O'Brien, who was global payroll compliance manager of Rippling, said he was induced into spying and passing sensitive company information to the CEO of rival US firm Deel Inc. The admission was disclosed during an application to join Deel, its French chief executive Alex Bouaziz and two solicitors working for Deel – Italian national Andrea David Mieli and UK-based Asif Malik – as co-defendants in corporate espionage proceedings taken by Rippling against Mr O'Brien last month. The Commercial Court heard Mr O'Brien passed on screenshots from Rippling's Slack messaging system to Mr Bouaziz, who was described as a billionaire, over the course of several months and was paid for this via Revolut and in cryptocurrency. Today, on the Indo Daily, Fionnán Sheahan is joined by Irish Independent legal affairs editor Shane Phelan and Sunday Independent senior correspondent Maeve Sheehan, to discuss how a payroll compliance manager was allegedly recruited as a corporate spy – and where the intrigue will go next.
