Christian Brueckner, the suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, “bragged about breaking into apartments” where the British girl went missing, a court has heard.
The 47-year-old is currently facing trial in the German city of Braunschweig - unrelated to Maddie, but which sees him accused of five counts of sexual assault in Portugal between 2000 and 2007.
Brueckner’s ex-partner told the German court that the 47-year-old said he snuck into properties in Portugal’s Algarve resort around the time that Maddie disappeared.
He allegedly wore a pair of tights over his head, accompanied by some goggles over the top, whilst breaking into the properties.
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Brueckner would then hunt through washing baskets looking for money in pockets, the unnamed witness told the court.
Giving evidence at Braunschweig Regional Court, his ex said: “He was always drunk whenever we met, he was always drinking beer.
“He started telling me about Portugal, saying he would break-in to properties - he told me he found money in the pocket of some laundry.”
She added: “He told me he would wear tights during his break-ins. He said he would put them over his face like a mask - then put the goggles on top.
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She said that on one occasion, Brueckner told her about a break-in where he stole a lot of money, potentially in the €100,000 region.
“I don’t remember if he told me about breaking into properties naked. But I do remember him telling me he would escape via the roofs,” she added.
The pair met on a website that was often used by paedophiles, something she was at first not initially aware of.
The revelations mirror those disclosed last week by Michael Tatschl, a former friend of Brueckner’s, who said that the Maddie suspect had boasted about breaking into and burgling holiday homes in Portugal while naked.
Tatschl said: "Once, he told me he broke in and three teenage girls were sleeping in the living room... And he was naked. One of them woke up when a phone rang and screamed.
The 47-year-old had allegedly bragged about the incidents to Tatschl while both men were serving an eight-month prison sentence in 2006 for stealing fuel.
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“The girl's father heard the scream and came, so Christian had to run and jump off a balcony and run away,” he continued.
“He burgled naked quite a few times because he did not want to leave a trace.”
Tatschl also told the court that Brueckner boasted about a four-day sexual assault of a girl as young as 14.
He said that the “14 or 15”-year-old girl had come from a local rehabilitation programme and had “run away” when she encountered Brueckner.
Tatschl said that Brueckner had installed a "chest height" iron ring at his farmhouse, to which he tied the teenager “for days”, forcing her to perform sexual acts before eventually letting her go.