The prime suspect within the seek for Madeleine McCann claimed "she didn’t scream" to the good friend who reported him to police. Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian Brueckner, 45, made the admission in a letter.

In the letter he assaults the one that knowledgeable on him, Helge Busching, who contacted the police in 2017 to say he had info on Madeleine’s disappearance.

Brueckner and Busching had reportedly been pals within the early 2000s earlier than they fell out after a medicine deal went fallacious the identical 12 months Madeleine disappeared after which they by no means spoke once more.

In the letter, seen by the MailOnline, Brueckner wrote: “The following sentences from the 'witness' Helge B in 2017 were responsible for all the public hunting and hatred against me by the German authorities.

“I was at the hippy festival in 2008 in Spain. Manfred (Seyferth another witness) was also there as well and Michael (Tatschl another witness), Manfred, Christian and I then started talking about Portugal.”

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Brueckner added: “It was then Christian made a comment about the missing girl. Christian asked me if I was still going to Portugal.

“I replied: 'I'm no longer going to Portugal because there are too many problems there, Portugal has too many police for me on account of the missing child.

“It is indeed strange that she disappeared without a trace.' Christian replied: 'Yes, she did not scream.'”

After slamming the claims made towards him by Busching, Brueckner explains how they fell out over a drug deal in 2007.

Busching allegedly gave a press release to police in 2017. Whilst below investigation, Busching was put in contact with Operation Orange, the staff answerable for on the lookout for Madeleine McCann.

The newest twist within the seek for Madeleine comes simply days after German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters mentioned gadgets had been discovered after a high-profile search on the Arade Dam final month.

He mentioned: “Whether some of the items actually relate to the Madeleine McCann case cannot yet be confirmed.”

According to Portuguese newspaper Correio da Manha, no less than one “relevant clue” has been discovered because of the search.

The dam is simply 31 miles from the place Madeleine McCann was final seen earlier than she disappeared on May 3, 2007.

In a press release, Mr Wolters mentioned: “We thank all officers who participated in the search. The cooperation between the Portuguese police, the British officers and the German federal police was outstanding and very constructive.”

The search, which used heavy equipment, sniffer dogs, and pickaxes, lasted three days and got here on the request of German investigators who imagine convicted intercourse offender Brueckner is the prime suspect.

Brueckner is believed to have travelled in his Volkswagen T3 camper van to the reservoir.