Sniffer dogs have said to have barked when entering an underground cellar near where suspect Christian Brueckner lived outside Hannover, Germany. Video / Agencia EFE via AP
The lawyer for Christian Brueckner, the man identified as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has claimed that his client is innocent, citing new evidence he believes exonerates the convicted paedophile.
Friedrich Fulscher told The Sun newspaper: "I cannot go into details but it is very significant and involves someone who has provided me with vital information."
"When I reveal it you will fall off your chair," he added.
"The prosecutor said more than three months ago my client was responsible but since then nothing and we haven't even been able to see their files.
"I'm confident this case will not go to court and the British media will lose interest in my client."
Christian Brueckner has been identified as the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Photo / Supplied
When German prosecutors first identified Brueckner as a suspect in the case, Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann described the breakthrough as the "most significant development in 13 years" of their anguish since their daughter went missing from Portugal during a family holiday.
But progress on the case has been slow, with an initial flurry of leads quickly drying up.
Quizzed on Portuguese TV, German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said there was "no smoking gun" against Brueckner but said they had the right man.
"All I can say is this [is] like a puzzle and there are many pieces that lead us to believe Christian B is responsible," he stated.
One of the key planks of evidence in the case is testimony of convicted burglar Helge Busching, who told prosecutors that Brueckner admitted his involvement in Maddie's disappearance.
But Fulscher dismissed his claims, telling The Sun: "You really have to ask why ... Helge Busching waited so long to offer this information to the police if it was so crucial.
"Why did his conscience cry out 10 years after Christian supposedly told him he was involved.
"It's very strange and very obvious to me and should be obvious to the police."
Contacted by The Sun, Busching simply said: "I don't give a **** what [his] lawyer says. [Christian Brueckner] is guilty."
Christian Brueckner, seen in a 2018 arrest photo. Photo / AP
He told the Daily Mirror if he had a daughter, he would never let him "babysit" her.
Despite Brueckner claiming his innocence in the McCann case, Fulscher told the Mirror "I'd let him look after my dogs but I wouldn't let him look after my children or my daughter - if I had them.
"He could be my dog sitter, yes, but because of his record I would not let him look after my own daughter."
But he expressed confidence that evidence would exonerate Brueckner and said his client remained calm, saying he is "as relaxed as a man can be when the whole world thinks he is guilty of murdering a young girl".
