A new search into the case of Madeleine McCann may have been triggered by information disclosed by suspect Christian Brueckner in prison, a former Met Police detective has claimed.
The new investigation into the disappearance of the missing child is set to commence in Portugal across more than 20 sites. The search is being conducted by German police, on the hunt for fresh evidence against prime suspect Brueckner.
It is the first extensive search for Madeleine McCann since 2008, ahead of Brueckner's release from prison in September after being jailed for rape in 2019. He has denied any involvement in McCann's disappearance.
Speaking to GB News, former Detective Chief Superintendent at the Metropolitan Police Kevin Hurley said the new search may have been sparked due to "Brueckner disclosing more information whilst in custody".
Kevin Hurley shared more detail on the new search for Madeleine McCann, with Christian Brueckner still a suspect in the case
PA / GB News / Reuters
Hurley explained: "It may be the case that potentially Christian B has disclosed more information whilst he's been in custody. The timing of it is interesting, and my take on it is they probably regard Christian as a very dangerous individual for women and girls.
"He's a right wrong-un, and they want to if they can find another reason to keep him in custody so he's not released back out into wider society and disappear."
Delivering his verdict on why authorities are searching multiple sites, Hurley claimed that with new criminological analysis and artificial intelligence, they may be "looking for sites where bodies may be dumped".
Hurley told GB News: "In this current day and age, one of the things they may have done is given the kind of suspicions that Christian B could have been the person responsible for abducting Madeleine, they may have applied not only criminological analysis about where people dump bodies, but overlaid that with artificial intelligence to do the analysis of where potential body dump sites could be.
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McCann went missing over 18 years agoPA"This is why they're potentially talking about searching a number of locations and not a specific one."
Reiterating his predictions as to why the new search is taking place, Hurley said: "My overall take on it is maybe they've got something actually he's disclosed whilst he's been in prison, but equally important they may be thinking, we want to do our very best to protect women and girls, let's have one last stab at what we know and do a more extensive search."
Asked by host Ellie Costello if he is "hopeful" that new technologies will aid in the new search, Hurley was doubtful.
He stated: "I wouldn't say hopeful is the right word. There's a potential with ground penetrating radar. They'll probably use cadaver dogs again, these are dogs who are trained to sniff out human remains even many years after.
"They push sticks into the ground to release the smells, because you don't know how the body's been wrapped, but I wouldn't say I'm hopeful."
Hurley told GB News cast doubt on the new search despite developing technology used by authorities
GB News
Noting the absence of the Metropolitan Police in the investigation, Hurley concluded that he "never held any hope or faith in external detectives" in searches of a foreign country.
He said: "The family and supporters criticised the Portuguese police and thought Scotland Yard can come along and wave a magic wand. The Portuguese were a modern, technologically equipped police force and broadly speaking, they know what they're doing.
"Of course, police everywhere make mistakes, but I never held any hope or faith in external detectives coming onto someone else's turf years after the event and finding anything useful."
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told GB News: "We are aware of the searches being carried by the BKA in Portugal as part of their investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
"The MPS is not present at the search but will support our international colleagues where necessary."
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