A police file unearthed by this paper details how the witness saw Madeleine emerging from a restaurant in the Spanish seaside town of Alcossebre before climbing into the van with an unidentified man. The sighting, one of dozens in the early weeks of the investigation, has taken on new significance since German paedophile Christian Brueckner was identified last week as a key suspect in the case.
According to the witness, Madeleine was seen at 11am on May 28, β three weeks after she vanished β coming out of popular local restaurant Tunnels in Alcossebre, some miles from Praia da Luz.
It is unclear what checks were made. She was seen to leave with a man in a Volkswagen van. A witness claimed to see Madeline McCann pictured with an 'unidentified man' in a German-owned VW similar to the one owned by Christian Brueckner, right, van just weeks after her disappearance.
Detectives believe Christian Brueckner, the latest main suspect in the McCann case, was living out of a German campervan in We request German vehicle details. Can the vehicle be circulated for a stop and check to be carried out if seen. It emerged last week that Brueckner was living just two miles from the holiday apartment where Madeleine vanished in May Former neighbours said he often slept in his van, which had a distinctive white upper body and yellow skirting.
German police said there were indications that he could have used either the van or a Jaguar model XJR 6 with a German number plate to commit the crime and appealed for help tracking where they were parked. Portuguese police officers seized the vehicle in It was all very sudden β there had been nothing on the TV or in the papers about the case at that time. It is not known whether he changed the registration plate at any time. The property β pictured exclusively and never before linked to Brueckner β could now become a focal point in the investigation into whether the German kidnapped and murdered Madeleine.
