An ITV documentary will profile Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner in a new 1x 60’ film from MultiStory Media, part of ITV Studios, as his potential release from prison nears.
Brueckner, a convicted rapist, was German police’s only suspect before being named an ‘arguido’ – a formal suspect – by Portuguese police in 2022. Brueckner has not been charged and denies any involvement in the disappearance of 3-year-old Madeleine from a holiday resort in 2007. He is currently serving time for an unrelated 2005 rape charge, with his sentence due to end in September 2025.
Now, former senior detective, criminologist and lead criminal profiler, Dr Graham Hill will speak in depth for the first time about his detailed work profiling Brueckner, as he examines the evidence and builds a comprehensive profile of the key suspect in the unsolved case of missing Madeleine.
At the request of the Home Office, Hill was sent to advise Portuguese police in the first few days of the incident, during which time he recommended widening the case, arguing it was too narrowly focussed. He says his advice wasn’t taken.
In 2011 his review led to the establishment of the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Grange – the unit working on the case to this day.
Across Portugal, Germany, and the UK, the documentary weaves Hill’s analysis with testimonies from forensic psychologists, journalists, and those who knew Brueckner personally, to create a chilling portrait of the man at the centre of one of the world’s most infamous unsolved cases.
This film, Madeleine McCann: The Search for a Suspect (w/t), will ultimately pose the question: ‘What does justice look like when the threshold for criminal charges isn’t met, but evidence against a suspect remains potentially damning?’
The documentary has been commissioned by ITV’s Current Affairs Controller Tom Giles and is due to air on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player in September.
ITV Studios will handle international distribution.
Dr Graham Hill said: “I’ve been involved in this case in one way or another for 18 years since Madeleine went missing in May 2007, and the more that I’ve learned about the investigation, the more frustrated I’ve become. The longer it goes on without Christian B being charged, the more likely it looks like he’s going to be released very soon.
“His backstory, his criminal offending, the picture of the man we’re getting from his acquaintances and the German police… I want to pull all of that together and answer the question, ‘Is Christian Bruckner the type of man that could have abducted and murdered Madeleine McCann and ultimately does the information that we now have about him suggest that he is the person who committed that crime?’”
Mike Blair, Creative Director, Factual Programming at MultiStory Media said: “To have Dr Graham Hill speak for the first time in depth about his work on this case is such a privilege. This is a man who has spent decades researching major crime and working with law enforcement agencies across the UK and America. His insights into this case, right from the very beginning, are invaluable.”
Tom Giles, Controller, Current Affairs at ITV said: “Dr Hill is a foremost expert on this case, having been boots on the ground from the start and many years in the field profiling such suspects. This is a significant piece of work on a case that remains one of the most talked about in history.”
Pippa Considine
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