Gavin Grey: UK Correspondent on the delayed prison release of the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, the Ukrainian man charged with arson at Kier Starmer's property, and an interim report into the fatal cruise ship sinking in Sicily

The chief suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance, who is currently serving a sentence for a rape conviction, is set to be released from prison in Germany later than originally scheduled.

Christian Brückner, 48, was convicted of raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal in 2005 and had been scheduled for release in September, but this could now be pushed back to early next year.

He has never been charged in the McCann case and denies any involvement in her disappearance in 2007.

UK Correspondent Gavin Grey talks to Heather du Plessis-Allan about the case, the Ukrainian man charged with arson at Kier Starmer's property and more. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Devin gray Are UK correspondent, is with me now, hey, Gevin,
Hi there? Hell Okay, So this chap is about appear
in courtsy.

Speaker 2 (00:07):
Yes, Roman laveronoritch Is his name is a Ukrainian national.
He's twenty one and has been charged in connection with
fires at two properties and a car linked to our
Prime Minister Sakir Starmer. Now he's been charged with three
counts of arsen with intent to endanger life. He was
arrested in southeast London in the early hours of Tuesday

(00:29):
and we expect him at Westminster Magistrate's Court in the
heart of London in the next couple of hours. The
charges relate to three instants. So there was a vehicle
fire in Kentish Town in North London. This was a
vehicle that Sekir Starmer had sold before he became Prime
Minister to a neighbour. Then there was a fire at
the Prime Minister's private home on the same street. He

(00:49):
no longer is living there because although he owns it,
it's said to be rented out. He of course lives
at the official address in Downing Street. And then there
was a fire at an address that he had previously
lived at in Northwest London, but no longer owed. But
that involved fire officers having to help people down the
staircase using breathing apparatus. Anyway, the Metropolitan Police's counter Terrorism

(01:11):
Command unit is looking at this due to links to
a high profile figure. That's all we're being told at
the moment. We may get one or two more details
in court.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
All very interesting. And now this chief suspect in Medler
McCain's disappearance is coming out of jail how much later
than originally shield Well.

Speaker 2 (01:28):
Christian Bruckner is his name. We thought he was coming
out of jail in September, but that's been pushed back
to early next year. Why does that make a difference, Well,
because he is wanted for questioning about the Maddie McCann case.
Of course, Madeline McCann disappeared in Portugal with a family
holiday prior to delusion that resort there in two thousand

(01:50):
and seven. Now the fear is that when Christian Bruckner
is released from prison, he will leave the country and
go underground and basically disappear. He is a man with
a very very checkered history. He's currently in prison convicted
of raping a seventy two year old American tourist in
Portugal in two thousand and five, just two years before

(02:11):
Maddie McCown's disappearance. But he also has a number of
other past misdemeanors where he has been sentenced as a child,
sex offender, forgery, drug theft, defense is a history of
sex offenses and a drifter being lived in Portugal's Algarve
region on and off for years. To be clear, he
has never been charged with anything in connection with Maddie McCann.

(02:34):
He equally says he's had nothing to do with it.
But he also has had a conviction overturned. As it were,
he was found not guilty of three counts of rape
and two council of child sex abuse, and police are
hoping to get an appeal underway for that, and the
best way of doing that is knowing that he is
already behind bars. So it looks like he's going to

(02:56):
stay there until January. And this, believe it or not,
over an paid fine.

Speaker 1 (03:01):
Kevin, So, why is it that the people who were
on board that luxury yacht that tipped over, why didn't
they know that the wind could do that?

Speaker 2 (03:08):
Yeah, that's a very very good question. So there is
an investigation underway into the death of the seven people,
including the man called sort of Britain's Bill Gates, the
entrepreneur Mike Lynch, a billionaire, and six other people and
they were off the coast of Sicily when their luxury
super yacht sunk in August last year. So there is

(03:31):
an investigation underway and they are also in the process
of raising the boat now. The interim report being conducted
by the UK's Marine Accident Investigation Branch, that is because
the yacht was registered in the UK, says that winds
of eighty miles an hour roughly one hundred and twenty
two kilometers per hour violently hit the vessel, causing it

(03:51):
to flood within seconds. There had been questions about where
the windows had been open and the hatch had been
left open. This injuring report suggests no. It suggests that
the yacht was not to a ninety degree angle within
fifteen seconds. At four in the morning. The crew heard
there was a storm on the way and were busy

(04:12):
trying to prepare for that, but simply didn't have time.
Some pretty harrowing evidence as well about how those on
boarder tries to use furniture as a ladder to try
and get out of their cabins, but as we know,
so many did not succeed, although fifteen people did manage
to escape, but nevertheless, howther More details coming out about
how this operation to raise the fifty six meter vessel

(04:33):
will be.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Conductedkevin, look after your set, joy your weekend. We'll talk
to you next week. This Kevin Gray, UK correspondent.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
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