Police in Germany have issued a response following claims of new evidence in the investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
The three-year-old was on holiday in Portugal with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and her twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, in 2007 when she went missing from the Praia da Luz hotel apartment.
Madeleine's disappearance has been one of the biggest unsolved cases in the last two decades, and has seen the McCanns relentlessly searching for their daughter since the day she went missing.
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In the latest update in the case, a hard drive has been uncovered at a disused factory bought by the prime suspect in the McCann investigation - German national Christian Brueckner - which reportedly 'contains evidence she is dead'.
Following the new claims, a spokesperson for local force, Braunschweig police, told LADbible: "I can't comment on the documentary because I haven't seen it. In my opinion, the article in the Sun doesn't contain any real news and also contains few direct references to Madeleine McCann.
"I assume the article was published only because of the anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance and not because of the timeliness of the alleged evidence."
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German prosecutors believe Brueckner killed the three-year-old after she vanished during the family holiday.
The Sun claims that a hard drive was found at a disused factory, owned by Brueckner, which 'contains evidence she is dead'.
Investigators in the case also discovered an insurance document which they say proves Brueckner was at a music festival where he is said to have confessed to being behind her death.
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In 2023, 'Helge B' - an acquaintance of Brueckner whose full name has not been released - claimed that they had been at a festival in Spain when Brueckner asked him if he still travelled to Portugal, to which he said that there were now too many police checks since Madeleine's disappearance.
"I don't understand anyway how the little girl could disappear without a trace," Helge B said he told Brueckner.
Brueckner reportedly replied: "She didn't even scream."
Elsewhere in the new claims, The Sun additionally reports that masks, unlicensed guns and ammunition, children’s toys, and bikes were found at Brueckner's hideaway, despite him having no children himself, while as many as 75 children's swimming costumes were also discovered.
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It is reported that German police also found USB sticks and memory cards.
The Sun reports that in one, Brueckner 'described drugging a mother and daughter outside a nursery school'.
Child abuse images of four and five-year-old girls were also said to have been found during the searches.
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Skype conversations were found, including one in which he allegedly said he wanted to 'capture something small and use it for days'.
The new claims will air in full in Channel 4 documentary Madeleine McCann: The Unseen Evidence set to air at 9pm tonight (7 May).
Topics: Madeleine McCann, World News, Crime
Lucy Devine