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The Irish Sun
a day ago
- The Irish Sun
How Euro '96 hero Paul Gascoigne won the nation's hearts before booze battles which left him homeless & close to death
HE'S the sporting hero who helped take England to the semi-finals of Euro '96 and as been hailed as the most "naturally talented English footballer of his generation" . But Paul Gascoigne's life off the pitch has been plagued by addiction and ill-health that has left him homeless and, at times, close to death. 6 Paul Gascoigne has been hospitalised after being discovered unconscious at home Credit: Dan Charity / The Sun 6 The footballer achieved 57 caps for England Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 6 But his life has also been plagued by alcohol Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd Having 'died' twice, survived an 18-day coma and horror drink-drug binges, he has previously claimed to have 'more lives than a cat'. It's claimed Gazza, 58, is now in a 'stable' condition and being monitored in an acute medical unit after he was discovered semi-conscious at home on Friday evening. Fans who have watched him bounce back numerous times will be hoping the new health scare is just another temporary blip for the former Pal Steve Foster says hospital was 'the best possible place for him to be right now' and thanked well-wishers who 'want to see him back at his best'. read more from features It's yet another scare for the embattled addict, whose post-footballing career has been characterised by drug and alcohol battles. He once claimed to have survived for four months without food or water on a deadly daily intake of four bottles of whiskey and 'about 16 lines of coke'. By his own admission, he's a medical marvel, as he previously said: 'I'm not scared of anything, because of what I've been through in my life." Gazza's issues predate the drinking demons of his footballing career - stretching back to his childhood growing up in County Durham. Most read in Celebrity He has previously spoken about childhood trauma from witnessing his parents' violent arguments and later domestic abuse between his three siblings. At the age of ten, Gazza was scarred by tragedy, after watching his brother's friend Steven Spraggon die in his arms. Rangers icon Paul Gascoigne makes surprise Match of the Day appearance as footie greats pay tribute to Gary Lineker 6 Paul with ex-wife Sheryl, who he shares three kids with Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd He was 'mucking around' outside a local shop when he ran into the road and was knocked down by an ice cream truck. "I was on my own with him for what seemed like ages," Gascoigne revealed in his 2005 autobiography Gazza. "It was the first dead body I'd ever seen. 'I felt Stephen's death was my fault. I still go over the accident in my mind. Just speaking of it can make me cry." His hod-carrier father John lived away in When John returned, he suffered a brain hemorrhage that meant he would never work again, furthering the family instability for his kids. "It was around this time I started displaying peculiar twitches and making lots of noises," Gazza said. By 13, his mental health declined. He could no longer sleep without lights on and sought psychiatric help for depression and a slot machine addiction, which he shoplifted to fund. Gazza's one escape was on the pitch, where he admitted: "I didn't have twitches or worry about death when I was playing football." He impressed while playing at Redheugh Boys' Club and Gateshead Boys youth teams before being signed as an apprentice for Newcastle United on his 16th birthday. When I'm drinking, I forget about everyone and don't realise the hurt I'm doing to everyone but I've also got to think about the hurt I was doing to myself Gazza There, Gazza excelled, including scoring a 30-yard screamer in the Youth Cup final, which manager Jack Charlton remarked: 'You'll have to wait a thousand years to see that again." He went on to become one of the most successful midfielders ever, playing for Newcastle and Tottenham, before moving to Lazio, and earning 57 England caps. He also provided one of the game's most iconic moments - when a yellow card in the 1990 World Cup semis in Turin saw him leave the pitch in tears. As "Gazzamania" gripped the UK, Terry Wogan described him as "probably the most popular man in Britain today" in September 1990. But off the pitch, he was developing more unhealthy habits including binging on Mars bars and junk food, which would later lead to him purging to lose weight ahead of matches. It would lead to a destructive relationship with alcohol that, in 1998, would lead to him being first admitted to the Priory Hospital following hitting 'rock bottom' after downing 32 whisky shots in a night. He would have at least seven more stints at various rehabs including a prestigious Arizona spot, which cost £100,000, and a £6,000-a-month Southampton clinic, and has been sectioned multiple times. "I'm an alcoholic like George [Best] and I know that - in some ways - my behaviour has been even more self-destructive than his. George never took cocaine,' Gazza later would admit. Raoul Moat stand-off A decade on from his first rehab stint, he was sectioned under the mental health act after threatening self-harm and holding a night porter by the throat after a 3am fire alarm in a hotel. Later that year, Gazza tried to end his life with alcohol and drugs but thankfully medics saved his life. While he spent spates sober in the coming years, he was continuously dogged by addiction. The dizzying heights of fame he reached in football - making 57 appearances for Notably in 2010, during 6 Gazza at one point was drinking four bottles of whisky a night Credit: News Group Newspapers Ltd 6 The ex-footballer has had many admissions to rehab Credit: Action Images - Reuters 'I just remember that I was in a taxi, I had a fishing rod, some chicken, four cans of lager and a fishing jacket,' the footballer later told The Mirror. Fortunately, he was turned away. He added: 'I was telling the taxi driver I could save him. I told him: 'Listen, I have been through so much, I am the best therapist in the world, I can save him'. I think that I genuinely believed that.' That same year, he was charged with drink driving twice, including once being four times over the limit, and skipped his sentencing hearing to enter rehab. "He is not here because he has decided to put himself in for treatment, that's the bit that causes me concern. Who's running the show?" the judge said. Gazza would spend three years sober until 2013 when he succumbed to binges. At the time he complained: 'The last 11 years, I've probably drank 14 months out of it. 'I was three years sober and then I had a four or five weeks binge. It's just those little binges, so I've just got to stop those binges. "When I'm drinking, I forget about everyone and don't realise the hurt I'm doing to everyone but I've also got to think about the hurt I was doing to myself.' 'More lives than a cat' Despite falling off the wagon, he said: 'I don't know if I'm ever going to touch a drink again. I just know that I'm not drinking today.' In 2014, Gaza was admitted to rehab again - for the seventh time - and later that year was hospitalised twice due to his drinking. Struggles have continued to plague the widely-beloved footballer, who said in a 2021 interview that he will 'always be an alcoholic' but that he was attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings . I have had near-death experiences, 36 operations, I've died a couple of times and they've put me in a coma for 18 days Gazza The dad-of-three, who previously admitted being physically violent against his first wife Sheryl, last year revealed he was homeless and sleeping in a spare room at his agent Katie Davies' house in Poole, Dorset. "I called Katie up in November a few years ago crying my eyes out,' he said. 'What I put myself through and other people, jail and rehab - taking cocaine off toilet seats." Gazza described himself as a 'sad drunk' and that he has 'let myself down' falling into the grips of alcoholism since his playing career finished. 'The things I've put myself through, I'm lucky to still be sitting here,' he told The High Performance Podcast. 'I don't go out and drink. I drink indoors.' He said if he wanted to 'make it a bad day' he would 'go down the pub' and once recoiled after a boozy session, to see '30 messages or missed calls' from worried loved ones. Gazza has been open about his battles, revealing he too believes he has 'more lives than a cat' due to surviving death multiple times and often appears to be consumed with regret. 'I have had near-death experiences, 36 operations, I've died a couple of times and they've put me in a coma for 18 days,' he said. 'People know Paul Gascoigne but Gazza, no one knows, even me sometimes. I've spent a lot of years being down. 'When I did my ligaments and then my kneecap, I missed four years of football. I would've got 100 caps.' Sadly, just weeks before his most recent hospitalisation, Gazza seemed optimistic, stating that he felt 'better now than I have in years' 'I hope I am at a point that I can look back over everything I've gone through with a different, more positive, perspective," he said. This recent scare suggests the battle may not be over for the beleaguered legend - but as ever, the beloved figure will have an army of well-wishers hoping he has a speedy recovery.
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Scottish Sun
I looked Tube terrorist in the eye on 21/7 and knew he wanted mass murder – what happened next still haunts me 20 yrs on
The manhunt that followed the botched attack set off a chain of events that led to the tragic shooting of Brazilian citizen Jean Charles de Menezes, who was misidentified TUBE TERROR I looked Tube terrorist in the eye on 21/7 and knew he wanted mass murder – what happened next still haunts me 20 yrs on Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WHEN terrorist Ramzi Mohammed tried to detonate a bomb on London's Northern Line, only one person was brave enough to face him down. Passenger Angus Campbell stood his ground in the smoke-filled train carriage and ordered the suicidal extremist to drop to the floor. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Tube passenger Angus Campbell ordered terrorist Ramzi Mohammed to drop to the floor after he tried to detonate a bomb on London's Northern Line Credit: Dan Charity 9 CCTV shows Ramzi (circled in yellow) running away along the Tube platform at Oval station after he attempted the atrocity Credit: Enterprise News and Pictures 9 Mohammed is responsible for the botched explosion in a tunnel near Oval station in South London on July 21, 2005 Credit: check copyright Amid the confusion, father-of-three Angus had originally mistaken Mohammed for a victim of the attack on July 21, 2005, and was about to reach out and help him. But after ushering mum Nadia Baro and her nine-month-old son to safety in the next carriage, he realised the man before him was responsible for the botched explosion in a tunnel close to Oval station, South London. Now — 20 years on from the attempted atrocity — Angus, 61, of nearby Tooting, recalled how his fury at Mohammed's bid to kill an innocent woman and child gave him the courage to fight back. He said: 'I realised, 'This is someone trying to commit mass murder', and it's difficult to describe the fear. 'But it's a hollowness, like butterflies in the bottom of your stomach. 'He got on the Tube and looked around and he must have seen he was in close proximity to a woman and child. He stood next to them and went bang. How is that a war? How do you justify that? 'He intended to kill women and children — what's that all about? 'That's not a fair fight, that's not courage. That's cowardice. How dare you be that cowardly.' 'Bolts and nails' Mohammed, then 23, and three accomplices were trying to replicate the 7/7 bombings that had left 52 dead two weeks earlier. They attempted to detonate devices on the Tube at Shepherd's Bush, Warren Street and just outside Oval station. A fourth device was intended to go off on the number 26 bus route in Haggerston, East London. But while the detonators on the devices fired, the main charges did not explode. As a result, there was only one reported injury. 7/7 survivor Dan Biddle and his rescuer Adrian interview The ensuing manhunt — described by the late Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Ian Blair as 'the greatest operational challenge ever faced' by the Met — set off a chain of events that led to the tragic shooting of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes. He was mistaken for a would-be suicide bomber in one of the force's most notorious botched operations, shot and killed by officers at Stockwell Tube station on July 22, 2005. Within days, the real suspects were arrested and, two years later, Mohammed, along with Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yasin Hassan Omar and Hussain Osman, was found guilty of conspiracy to murder. Each was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 40 years. Angus's incredible courage in confronting Mohammed summed up the mood in the capital after the 2005 bombings as people united against terrorism — a defiance that inspired the We're Not Afraid campaign. On the day the terror plotters struck, firefighter Angus had been running slightly late to take a training day at Southwark fire station when he boarded the 'relatively empty' carriage at Tooting just after midday. As the train was rocked by Mohammed's malfunctioned blast, the hero set aside concerns for his own safety to sound the alarm — then confront the extremist himself. Describing the horrifying attack, Angus, who retired in 2015, said: 'There was just the woman in front of me with her buggy and the kid was messing around. 9 Ramzi pictured on the tube carriage before he tried to detonate his rucksack bomb Credit: Central News 9 Mohammed, above escaping from the scene after the attack, and three accomplices were trying to imitate the 7/7 bombings that had left 52 dead two weeks earlier Credit: Metropolitan Police 'She got cross with him and put him in the buggy and he didn't want to be in there. We stopped at Stockwell and quite a lot of people got on from the Victoria line, including the bomber. "The moment we entered the tunnel a bang went off and it really reverberated because we were in a confined space and the carriage filled with white smoke. 'People were running like you wouldn't believe and (the bomber) was screaming, but the buggy was caught between the stanchions and she couldn't move it. 'I got hold of the buggy and Nadia hit me, she was so panicked. I said, 'No, let me help you'. 'We untangled it and, if you look at the CCTV, you can see we are clinging to each other as we move backwards down the Tube. 'We got to the doors and I thought one man was going to help me, but he didn't, he skipped through. I pushed Nadia through the doors and then I turned round to go and help the man I now know as Ramzi Mohammed.' He had pulled the alarm as he ushered Nadia to the neighbouring carriage and the Tube slowed down. He intended to kill women and children — what's that all about? That's not a fair fight, that's not courage. That's cowardice The scene that then unfolded before Angus still haunts him. He explained: 'I slowly walked towards him (Mohammed) and I could smell what I thought was burning hair. 'He started getting really aggressive and said, 'I'm going to kill you' a number of times. 'I was shouting at him, 'Lie the f*** down'. He pointed at me and said, 'You are wrong and this is all wrong'. 'I looked down at the rucksack and saw this yellow mass popping and fizzing, and within that is nuts and bolts and nails. "I realised, 'OK this is serious'. I started taking big steps back and both doors had now shut so I really was on my own. "The train driver comes on the Tannoy and there was a little microphone, and I scream into it, 'It's me! Don't open the doors, we've got him, get the police'. 'The bomber starts kicking and prying at the doors and getting really aggressive when all of a sudden, the doors open and he goes.' 'Deprived of a dad' The confrontation became a key scene in this year's Disney+ drama, Suspect: The Shooting Of Jean Charles De Menezes. A day after the failed bombings, the 27-year-old was wrongly pinpointed as one of the terrorists and tailed by cops, before officers fatally shot him in the head at Stockwell. Angus has fretted that if the train doors had not opened, and if he had managed to detain Mohammed, de Menezes' life might have been spared. But he refuses to blame London Underground for what happened. He said: 'All I had to do was hold on to him, and someone on the platform might have been able to help me keep him there, but I doubt it. He was young and scared and he took off. 9 Father-of-three Angus, 61, recalls how his fury at Mohammed's bid to kill an innocent woman and her child gave him the courage to fight back Credit: Dan Charity 9 'Everyone says, 'Why didn't you tw*t him on the nose?'. But I was really frightened, and it's important to have the balls to admit that. I was scared, of course I was. It was frustrating they opened the doors because we had him. 'He wasn't going to come past me and get back to the passengers he had already tried to kill. 'He was trapped and I was bigger than him. I looked down at the rucksack and saw this yellow mass popping and fizzing, and within that is nuts and bolts and nails. I realised, 'OK this is serious' 'As he ran away I shouted, 'Stop him,' and a few people tried. One old boy tried to trip him up and another geezer tried to grab him. 'Good for them, but he was long gone.' Acknowledging how devastating the consequences could have been if Mohammed's bomb had detonated, Angus said: 'I should be part of the Northern Line. 'I would have been sprayed all over that carriage, we were that close. 'My youngest son was six weeks old on July 21 and I would never have known him and he would never have known me. 'He's now 20 and doing fine at university and having a fantastic life, but he would have been denied a parent for all that time if Ramzi Mohammed had succeeded. "That's awful, isn't it? He would have been deprived of a dad and my wife and children would have suffered hugely if I had been taken away from them. 'To be denied 20 years just because of someone's ideology — it's not right and, with hindsight, there is real anger. 'I think, 'What gives you the right to do this to others and me? I've done nothing to you'.' Angus, who was reunited with Nadia at the would-be bombers' 2007 trial, now works as a tour guide in the capital. Not only does he regularly take the Tube, he often sits in the exact spot where he could have died. He said: 'I get the Tube all the time and I often sit in the same seat, third carriage down, main doors, second seat on the right. 'I think it's important because, if I was to avoid it, that means he's winning, doesn't it? I get the Tube all the time and I often sit in the same seat, third carriage down, main doors, second seat on the right. I think it's important because, if I was to avoid it, that means he's winning, doesn't it? 'Sometimes, it can be difficult. If someone gets on the Tube with a big rucksack and sits in close proximity to me, I can get fidgety. 'And it takes huge self-discipline not to get up and move myself away. 'But sitting in that seat is winning. If you change your behaviour, then they win.' Angus, who thanked The Sun for commending his bravery in our leaders column, added: 'We British are quite reserved, but there's something about us. 'It's called backbone, and we've got a lot of that, we really have." 9 Muktar Said Ibrahim, left, and Ramzi Mohammed, right, being arrested on July 29th 2005 Credit: check copyright
The Irish Sun
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy in tears as she reveals her biggest fear on nine month anniversary of his death
KATE Cassidy has shared her biggest fear about growing old without boyfriend Liam Payne. In a heartbreaking video, 4 Kate Cassidy shared her biggest fear about growing old without Liam Payne 4 Kate had planned to marry her 'soulmate' Liam Credit: Dan Charity 4 Liam died last year on October 16 Credit: Instagram / @kateecass She poured her heart out on TikTok and admitted she worried Liam wouldn't recognise her if they met again in the afterlife. 'Today marks nine months since Liam has left this world,' she said in the video. 'I don't know if this is just a message for myself, or for Liam, or for anybody that's navigating through grief that needs to hear this.' Fighting back sobs, Kate told followers she had recently cut her hair, got new tattoos, and pierced her ears READ MORE ON LIAM She added: 'Liam's never seen me with hair this short. He's never seen me with all these tattoos. 'And then I start thinking deeper into it… I don't know how heaven works, but is Liam going to look the same way that he looked the last time I saw him?' Kate - who dated Liam for two years and lived with him - said one day, when she's old, Liam might not recognise her. 'When my time comes, will Liam recognise me? I'm going to have wrinkles, white hair, bony hands… how will he find me?' Most read in Showbiz The heartbreaking thought left her in tears, but she recalled a comforting moment with a friend who reassured her: 'Of course he's going to recognise you… he's going to be so glad you lived.' Kate continued: 'He's going to want to sit there and hear all about it… It just reminded me to stay strong, and to carry on, and live my life to the fullest.' Kate Cassidy wipes away tears as she remembers Liam Payne on Lorraine Ending the emotional message, Kate added: 'Here's to another day of living life without the person that I love. I miss you so much. And I love you so much.' Kate's video has already touched thousands of viewers who praised her honesty. One said: 'Liam is with you darling, he would be so proud of you." Another shared: "He can see you." The One Direction star was Liam, 31, took the cocaine before his fatal accident. Kate had been staying with Liam in Argentina but flew back to America before his fatal accident. 4 Liam, pictured left, with his One Direction bandmates Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan in 2011 Credit: Getty
Scottish Sun
03-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Hopes for Madeleine McCann breakthrough as Brueckner could be kept in prison LONGER – giving cops vital time to nail him
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could face three extra months behind bars after the woman who paid his fine asked for her money back. The mystery donor - an ex-cop who investigated the suspect - settled a £1,300 outstanding court fine allowing Brueckner, 48, to walk free in September. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 6 Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal Credit: PA 6 Christian Brueckner is believed to be the lead suspect in the girl's disappearance Credit: Dan Charity 6 Officials recently went on a renewed search for DNA evidence in Portugal Credit: Dan Charity But the former German FBI agent has now emailed prosecutors pleading she has made a 'mistake' - and begged for the funds to be returned to her. Officials are taking the request seriously and were last night looking at how the funds could be sent back. Watch The Sun's exclusive documentary on the Maddie case here If they succeed it would secure crucial extra time for McCann investigators before their prime suspect walks free. Reports in Germany said: 'In an email to the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office, the former BKA employee is now demanding repayment of the money. 'She stated that she was unaware that Christian B. had been convicted in previous cases, including forgery.' The ex-cop is said to have told officials: "I therefore wish to contest my declaration of intent to repay the payment and invalidate the legal transaction accordingly." The payment cleared a 2016 Helmstedt District Court fine for drunkenness in traffic and forgery of documents and a 2017 Braunschweig court levy for assault. Before the ex-cop paid the fine, convicted paedophile Breuckner had only been able to pay £210 of the total and faced being kept behind bars until late January. The fine-payer insists she had "never had personal contact with Christian B." Mystery female donor who paid £1,300 fine to free Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner is former COP who investigated him Maddie prosecutors said it was investigating "the extent to which the payment received in the criminal case against Christian B. can actually be credited toward the fine imposed there." It stated that it had found evidence "that the payment was made by mistake." Brueckner will now walk free when his sentence for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz, in 2005, ends. He has been named publicly as the prime suspect over the May 3 2007 disappearance of Maddie, of Rothley, Leics., since 2020 but never been charged. He has used letters to deny the claims but has refused to answer police questions or provide an alibi. His phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished and made a 30-minute call from the area. His Jaguar was re-registered into a name the day after the disappearance. A Sun investigation this year revealed bombshell new evidence - including Brueckner's obsession with snatching and abusing small, young, blonde girls. 6 Brueckner appeared in court earlier this year over verbal assaults on prison guards Credit: Rob Pattinson 6 Maddie has now been missing for 18 years Credit: AFP 6 The search last week was focused on a handful of derelict building Credit: Dan Charity We also placed him at key police locations of interest, including a lake where cops dug for evidence. And we showed evidence he was at the scene of an al-but-confession when he allegedly said Maddie 'did not scream,' in 2008. Our probe - aired on Channel 4 - revealed the existence of a hard-drive and laptop containing crucial picture evidence on the case. Police maintain they have physical evidence Maddie is dead - but no forensic links. German police have recently stressed the value UK authorities could provide by getting involved in the case again before Brueckner's release. He has refused to rule out leaving Germany and insisted he will go to ground on his release. If he travelled to a non-extradition country all hopes for McCann justice could disappear with him.
The Irish Sun
03-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Hopes for Madeleine McCann breakthrough as Brueckner could be kept in prison LONGER – giving cops vital time to nail him
MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could face three extra months behind bars after the woman who paid his fine asked for her money back. The mystery donor - an ex-cop who 6 Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal Credit: PA 6 Christian Brueckner is believed to be the lead suspect in the girl's disappearance Credit: Dan Charity 6 Officials recently went on a renewed search for DNA evidence in Portugal Credit: Dan Charity But the former German FBI agent has now emailed prosecutors pleading she has made a 'mistake' - and begged for the funds to be returned to her. Officials are taking the request seriously and were last night looking at how the funds could be sent back. If they succeed it would secure crucial extra time for read more news Reports in Germany said: 'In an email to the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office, the former BKA employee is now demanding repayment of the money . 'She stated that she was unaware that Christian B. had been convicted in previous cases, including forgery.' The ex-cop is said to have told officials: "I therefore wish to contest my declaration of intent to repay the payment and invalidate the legal transaction accordingly." The payment cleared a 2016 Helmstedt District Court fine for drunkenness in traffic and forgery of documents and a 2017 Braunschweig court levy for assault. Most read in The Sun Before the ex-cop paid the fine, The fine-payer insists she had "never had personal contact with Christian B." Mystery female donor who paid £1,300 fine to free Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner is former COP who investigated him Maddie prosecutors said it was investigating "the extent to which the payment received in the criminal case against Christian B. can actually be credited toward the fine imposed there." It stated that it had found evidence "that the payment was made by mistake." Brueckner will now walk free when his sentence for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz, in 2005, ends. He has been named publicly as the prime suspect over the May 3 2007 disappearance of Maddie, of Rothley, Leics., since 2020 but never been charged. He has used letters to deny the claims but has refused to answer police questions or provide an alibi. His phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished and made a 30-minute call from the area. His Jaguar was re-registered into a name the day after the disappearance. A Sun investigation this year revealed bombshell new evidence - including Brueckner's obsession with snatching and abusing small, young, blonde girls. 6 Brueckner appeared in court earlier this year over verbal assaults on prison guards Credit: Rob Pattinson 6 Maddie has now been missing for 18 years Credit: AFP 6 The search last week was focused on a handful of derelict building Credit: Dan Charity We also placed him at key police locations of interest, including a lake where cops dug for evidence. And we showed evidence he was at the scene of an al-but-confession when he allegedly said Maddie 'did not scream,' in 2008. Our probe - aired on Channel 4 - revealed the existence of a hard-drive and laptop containing crucial picture evidence on the case. Police maintain they have physical evidence Maddie is dead - but no forensic links. German police have recently stressed the value UK authorities could provide by getting involved in the case again before Brueckner's release. He has refused to rule out leaving Germany and insisted he will go to ground on his release. If he travelled to a non-extradition country all hopes for McCann justice could disappear with him. Timeline of Maddie's disappearance May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim German media later name him as June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. September 17, 2025 Date on which Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case. June 1, 2025 Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal. It lasts for just three days.
