Maddie suspect told jail pal he took a girl from Algarve hol flat

Bombshell court claim during sex crimes trial

- MARTIN FRICKER

MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner confessed he snatched a girl from her holiday apartment in the Algarve, a fellow inmate has told a court.

German paedophile Brueckner, 47, is suspected of abducting and killing British girl Madeleine.

She was three in 2007 when she vanished from her family's holiday apartment in the Algarve.

Brueckner is on trial accused of a string of unconnected sex crimes in the region in Portugal.

He denies any involvement in Madeleine's disappearance from the resort of Praia da Luz.

But a former prisoner claimed yesterday that when they were on remand together in 2019 Brueckner confessed to a near-identical crime.

Laurentiu Codin told Brueckner's trial in Germany: "He told me that in Portugal, he had stolen there.

"He was in a region where there are hotels. He said there was somewhere with an open window.

He was looking for money.

"He said he didn't find any money but found a kid and took the child.

"He said that two hours later, there were police and dogs all over the place, so he went out of the area.

"He told me that a person was with him who he'd had an argument with, allegedly it was his woman.