I fled criminals in the UK for a quiet life abroad, only to meet Christian Brueckner among Portugal's drifters - but police STILL won't listen to what I have to say about the chief Madeleine McCann suspect

In 2004, Ken Ralphs near the UK with his woman Hazel for a caller beingness successful Portugal.

But dissimilar galore expats who take sunnier climbs implicit Britain, Ken was not motivated by upwind oregon the cuisine.

Instead, helium was fleeing for his beingness - a determination that would spot him transverse paths with Christian Brueckner, the main fishy in Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

Ken, present 59, had responded to a constabulary entreaty implicit the horrific 1999 execution successful Stockport of small-time cause dealer David Barnshaw, who connected September 20 was bundled into his ain car, forced to portion petrol and burned alive.

The shocking lawsuit shone a spotlight connected Manchester's transgression underworld, and done his adjacent enactment wrong the section community, Ken came crossed a telephone fig helium thought would beryllium of involvement to the constabulary investigating the killing.

This accusation led to respective arrests, but the accused were acquitted.

Over the people of the probe and consequent trial, however, a life-changing mistake was made and Ken's individuality arsenic an informant - which helium was promised would stay confidential - was disclosed to the defence team.

Speaking to the Daily Mail successful 2004, Ken said this resulted successful him being branded a 'grass' by section gangs.

His nutrient motortruck concern was petrol-bombed, Ken and Hazel's foster lad was attacked arsenic helium walked location from work, and they received decease threats.

The mates were forced into constabulary protection, but - deciding that this was nary mode to unrecorded - Ken sued Greater Manchester Police for the blunder and was awarded £134,000 for negligence and breach of confidence.

'No magnitude of compensation tin ever wage for the scar that the constabulary blunder has near connected our lives,' helium told the Daily Mail astatine the time, arsenic his communicative featured connected the beforehand leafage of the newspaper, arsenic good arsenic the Mail On Sunday.

Ken and Hazel utilized that wealth to bargain a campervan and drove southbound from the UK to Portugal to flight the threats. Little did they cognize astatine the time, however, that they were escaping the frying cookware - and into a fire.

As Ken was going done his ordeal, Brueckner - a German petty thief, cause trafficker, paedophile and rapist - was playing his commercialized successful Portugal.

He resided successful the Algarve, Portugal's southernmost portion known for its Atlantic beaches, play resorts, vacation homes - and besides its off-grid drifter community.

But to galore successful the UK, the portion is besides known for the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old British miss who connected May 3 that twelvemonth vanished without a hint from the Ocean Club edifice successful Praia da Luz.

She had been determination with her parents, but was near astatine location arsenic the adults dined with their friends astatine the resort's tapas barroom - earning them the nickname the Tapas Seven.

The probe into Madeleine's disappearance has yet been fruitless, but successful 2020, German prosecutors announced they person 'concrete evidence' that the 46-year-old transgression had abducted and killed the youngster.

Portuguese prosecutors besides formally identified Brueckner arsenic a fishy successful 2022 aft it emerged that his yellowish and achromatic VW T3 Westfalia campervan was reportedly spotted adjacent the Praia da Luz edifice successful Portugal astir the clip Madeleine vanished.

Brueckner, who is presently connected proceedings successful Germany for abstracted crimes, is believed to person been moving betwixt confederate Portugal and his homeland from the mid 1990s, scraping a surviving from unusual jobs specified arsenic selling cars and bar-tending.

While successful Portugal, helium fell successful with the Algarve's drifters and went connected to perpetrate a bid of crimes - and has since been convicted of counts of kid intersexual maltreatment and cause trafficking, each unrelated to Madeleine McCann. He is serving a situation condemnation successful Germany for raping a 72-year-old American pistillate successful the region.

Formal charges against him successful the McCann lawsuit person ne'er been brought, and helium has ever denied having thing to bash with the three-year-old's disappearance.

Ken, however, is adamant that the German has a lawsuit to answer.

Brueckner had already been surviving on-and-off successful the Algarve for a fig of years by the clip that Ken and Hazel arrived successful their campervan successful 2004 and joined the drifter assemblage surviving connected campsites and beaches successful the picturesque region.

They lived disconnected the compensation won by Ken, who would besides gain wealth done helping others surviving successful motorhomes by fixing and maintaining their satellites.

Ken had been a assemblage champion successful Greater Manchester where helium had antecedently been an elected typical of a section governmental party.

He had besides worked successful concern with Manchester Police to combat transgression nether the Crime and Disorder Act, and arsenic a result, helium was streetwise.

Because of his erstwhile enactment - combined with his much caller experiences successful Manchester - helium was wary of who to subordinate with.

'I knew who to take to socialise with,' Ken told MailOnline. 'If you didn't similar your neighbour, you could simply commencement your motor the pursuing greeting and determination to different beach. You could prime and take your friends wisely.'

He said that 99 percent of the radical who arrived successful caravans were 'decent lads'. Many were surfers, helium said, oregon expats similar helium and his wife.

But determination was besides an underbelly of criminals, Ken said, and helium rapidly learned who to debar - including cause dealers and suspected paedophiles.

'I've got millions of friends retired present [in Portugal] that are thing similar them,' Ken said. 'Even the radical that unrecorded off-grid contiguous are decent people.

'It's conscionable the unusual 1 that hides [that are the issue],' helium added.

One idiosyncratic Ken met aboriginal connected was a antheral who MailOnline has chosen not to sanction for ineligible reasons, and who for the purposes of this nonfiction volition beryllium called John.

John was surviving successful the Algarve with his woman and 2 young children, and was struggling to make ends meet. He had acceptable up a tiny campy connected a beach, with a tent, mostly hidden from presumption from immoderate roadworthy oregon dwelling.

Ken said helium and Hazel would often instrumentality nutrient to their campy truthful the household could eat, and soon got to cognize them well.

It was done John that Ken formally met Brueckner for the archetypal time, at Praia bash Amado - a formation astir 10 miles from Praia da Luz.

While Ken said helium had seen the drifter astatine different locations successful the portion since helium had arrived successful 2004 - astatine car footwear sales, successful municipality centres, oregon successful different camping spots connected the region's beaches - John was the 1 to present them formally.

Recalling his archetypal impressions of Brueckner erstwhile helium archetypal met him successful 2006 - a twelvemonth earlier Madeleine vanished - Ken said: 'He was a bully looking lad. He was slick, his hairsbreadth was combed back, bully and tidy. He looked precise clean.'

Pictures from Brueckner's clip successful Portugal amusement the young German smiling for the camera with different motorhome owners.

'He spoke precise good - posh English. He seemed precise educated,' Ken added. 'I didn't person immoderate crushed to deliberation helium was the monster I've since learned him to be.

'He's a monster successful disguise,' helium said.

Brueckner was 1 of the radical to cognize wherever John's concealed campy was, Ken said. 'They were knocking astir with each other,' helium recalled.

While helium had immoderate suspicion that Brueckner was an unsavoury character, helium added: 'I didn't cognize of his past transgression activities. There's nary mode successful God's world I would person been astir him astatine the clip if I had known.'

In the clip betwixt 2006 and 2007, Ken said Christian went disconnected determination else, leaving Ken to get to cognize John amended and absorption his efforts connected helping his family.

But 1 nighttime successful April 2007, astir a week earlier Madeleine vanished, Ken said helium and John were sitting astir a campfire drinking immoderate beers unneurotic having spent the evening with their families.

By this point, Brueckner had returned to the Algarve, and helium had been astir the campy earlier excessively with the radical - and astatine 1 constituent adjacent had John's young girl connected his knee, 'bouncing her up and down,' Ken said.

He recalled John saying that his girl 'loved' Brueckner, and that the German had 'even looked aft her for us' erstwhile John and his woman had near the camp.

Ken and Hazel were readying connected going backmost to the UK successful a fewer days, helium said, and truthful they took immoderate photos of the radical that evening - unsure if everyone would inactive beryllium determination erstwhile they returned to Portugal.

His camera was aboriginal stolen from his van.

After Brueckner near the site, and aft the others had turned successful for the night, Ken was near unsocial with John, who helium said started to get emotional, telling the British expat however hard beingness had go and the struggles helium had supporting his family.

It was past that John revealed to him a shocking secret, Ken said.

The hopeless begetter revealed to him that Brueckner had spoken astir a crippled to kidnap a young miss and merchantability her to a household - suggesting it arsenic a mode to marque immoderate speedy wealth - and that John could get successful connected the plan.

'We sat by the occurrence until the aboriginal hours of the morning,' Ken recalled to MailOnline, 'and that's erstwhile [John] started to outcry and confess.'

The expat said helium initially tried to comfortableness an 'obviously depressed' John, earlier John asked Ken if helium could archer him the 'secret'.

'[John] told maine Christian was readying to instrumentality a kid from Praia da Luz,' Ken said.

'He past clarified it was not ransom, but that it was to instrumentality a kid to merchantability to a German mates who could not person children of their own.

'He assured maine the kid would not beryllium harmed,' Ken said, adding that John 'told maine Christian knew galore radical who volition wage bully wealth for a kid who cannot springiness birth, and that the kid would beryllium taken from a affluent household with much than 1 kid [of their own] truthful the parents would not grieve arsenic badly.'

After this shocking revelation, Ken pressed John for much information.

He said John explained Brueckner 'worked astatine the [Ocean Club] restaurant, and that helium had been readying events for months.'

The edifice was the aforesaid that Kate and Gerry McCann were successful with a radical of friends connected the nighttime that Madeleine vanished.

'He said Christian Knows the spot wrong retired and was precise clever and helium knows what helium is doing,' Ken added.

Recalling that night, Ken told MailOnline that helium acceptable astir trying to dissuade John from going done with the plot, informing him to not autumn successful with criminals.

He adjacent offered John to articulation him successful his outer attraction enactment to assistance get him backmost connected his feet.

However, to this time Ken is not definite if helium got done to John. Despite his champion efforts to get much accusation retired of him astir Brueckner's alleged plot, helium said John yet went to furniture saying helium was tired, and they didn't talk astir it again.

A week later, Ken was backmost successful the UK - concisely visiting his begetter successful Stockport - erstwhile the quality of Madeleine's disappearance broke connected the news.

'I was sat successful my dad's location having a cupful of beverage erstwhile it came connected the quality - the breaking quality erstwhile the quality came out,' an affectional Ken recalled. 'First happening I said was 'oh for f*** sake'. My dada asked what's the matter, and I told my dad.'

The quality near him successful tears, and his begetter persuaded him to spell to the constabulary - contempt his past experiences.

Choosing not to instrumentality to constabulary successful Manchester aft his acquisition successful 2004 that caused him to fly to Portugal, Ken said helium acted connected his father's proposal and delivered a connection to different presumption extracurricular the city.

Ken claims helium handed officers determination a hand-drawn representation of wherever the tee-pee campy was hidden successful Portugal and requested they nonstop it to Portuguese officials progressive successful the hunt for Madeleine. He besides told officers that John had told him Brueckner was moving astatine Ocean Club, helium said.

In a connection to MailOnline, the constabulary presumption successful question said it had nary grounds of immoderate accusation being provided to officers astatine the station.

On his instrumentality to Portugal days later, Ken went consecutive to the tract of the tee-pee campy - lone to find that it had been destroyed by occurrence - each but a bamboo cage.

'What I got backmost I wanted to spot whether [John and his family] were inactive astatine the camp, to effort and found whether helium had been involved. If helium was inactive about, I could person questioned him, but helium wasn't there,' Ken said.

'It had each been destroyed by a occurrence - everything had been gutted, wholly burnt-out. All that remained was a four-or-five-foot cage, which I recovered unusual, due to the fact that the cage wasn't determination earlier erstwhile [John] gave his confession.'

After uncovering the destroyed campy site, Ken searched the different Algarve beaches John was known to frequent, saying helium was driving astir for hours.

He yet recovered different communal acquaintance, a Frenchman who was besides portion of the drifter assemblage (and who MailOnline is not naming) astatine Amado formation - the fashionable spot for drifters astir 10 miles from Praia da Luz.

The Frenchman told Ken that John had near him with his favored canine aft leaving for Africa. This was surprising, Ken said, connected relationship of John having nary money.

Ken has ne'er seen oregon spoken to John again.

He besides said helium spoke to 2 GNR (Portugal's National Republican Guard) officials and gave them the aforesaid accusation helium had fixed to constabulary backmost successful the UK.

He said the officials told them they were alert of John, but doubted helium could beryllium progressive connected relationship of him having a household of his own.

As the communicative of Madeleine's disappearance deed the beforehand pages, the world's media descended connected Praia da Luz.

Ken himself said helium went down to the Ocean Club edifice astir that clip arsenic investigations were underway, and saw constabulary combing the area.

Nearby, helium said, helium encountered Brueckner wearing an apron.

Ken said helium was 'gobsmacked' to spot Brueckner successful Praia da Luz, adjacent arsenic the media and investigators were moving successful the tiny Algarve town.

'He was moving astatine the Ocean Bar illegally' being paid nether the table, Ken claimed.

'This antheral [Christian] was lasting determination successful his edifice pinny inactive moving for them illegally astatine the edifice - which could person enactment further radical astatine risk.'

By moving there, Ken suggests, Brueckner would person had entree to the impermanent publication ledger - thing that Kate McCann would spell connected to explicit her concerns implicit successful the aftermath of her daughter's disappearance.

In her book, Madeleine's parent made notation to a artifact booking being jotted down and however unit were capable to work that their children would beryllium alone.

She wrote: 'It wasn't until a twelvemonth later, erstwhile I was combing done the Portuguese files, that I discovered that the enactment requesting our artifact booking was written successful a unit connection book, which sat connected a table astatine the excavation reception for astir of the day.

'To my fearfulness I saw that, nary uncertainty successful each innocence and to explicate wherefore she was bending the rules a bit, the receptionist had written the crushed for our request... we wanted to devour adjacent to our apartments arsenic we were leaving our young children unsocial determination and checking connected them intermittently.'

In the aforesaid 2011 book, 'Madeleine – our daughter's disappearance and the continuing hunt for her' Kate McCann voiced her fears of overseas paedophiles.

She wrote: 'Night aft night, I work of depraved individuals, British paedophiles, Portuguese paedophiles, Spanish, Dutch and German paedophiles and the horrific crimes they committed.'

According to reports astatine the time, each employees of the Ocean Club edifice successful Praia da Luz were interviewed by constabulary during the probe into Madeleine's disappearance.

However, Ken suggests that if Brueckner was moving astatine the edifice disconnected the books, helium could person been missed by investigators.

In 2020, when Brueckner was officially named arsenic a fishy by German police, Ken said helium was near stunned to spot the look of the antheral helium concisely knew from Portugal 13 years agone looking backmost astatine him connected the news.

'I was consecutive connected the blower backmost to Scotland Yard,' helium said, and asked if officers had followed up connected immoderate of the details helium said helium had fixed constabulary successful 2007.

He told them to hunt for John archetypal and foremost successful the anticipation that helium could shed airy connected whether Brueckner had thing to bash with Madeleine's disappearance, recounting again what John had told him a substance of days earlier she vanished.

Ken was aboriginal told that the missing drifter was tracked down by the police.

However, according to the expat, erstwhile constabulary did drawback up with John abroad, John told the cops helium had ne'er met Ken oregon Hazel.

That's wherever the probe into John ended, Ken said, contempt determination being respective different witnesses to them having known each different during their clip successful Portugal.

Ken told Sky News earlier this twelvemonth that 'police told maine idiosyncratic had made interaction with my person overseas and helium had denied knowing me, but I person a twelve witnesses who volition accidental that he's lying.

'I conjecture helium conscionable didn't privation to beryllium interviewed by the police,' helium said.

Ken told MailOnline helium has made respective attempts to larn whether the accusation helium passed connected about Brueckner was acted upon.

In 2023, Ken wrote 3 letters to Scotland Yard's Operation Grange - the squad investigating Madeleine's disappearance, which was acceptable up successful 2011.

'Why did [my statement] not rise a reddish emblem and wherefore [did] constabulary neglect to enactment 2 and 2 unneurotic to marque Brueckner a fishy successful 2007, alternatively of delaying it until 2020?' helium asked successful 1 of his letters dated August 17 past year.

'Police were alert from accusation I had fixed astir Christian being the waiter who dealt with the edifice bookings [at the Ocean Club],' his missive besides said, earlier questioning wherefore this was not looked astatine further.

DCI Mark Cranwell, the Senior Investigating Officer for Operation Grange did respond to Ken's letters.

'I americium alert that you are becoming progressively frustrated with the perceived deficiency of enactment by the MPS and Portugal instrumentality enforcement,' the reply said.

'However I wanted to reassure you that we person reviewed each the accusation you person provided. The accusation is ever assessed, analysed and considered successful the wider discourse of the investigation.'

DCI Cranwell added: 'I wanted to reassure you that we person shared the applicable pieces of accusation with our planetary instrumentality enforcement partners successful Germany and Portugal, who successful crook marque an appraisal of the accusation against their ain interior policies and probe strategies.

'They, similar the UK tin lone enactment wrong the boundaries of their interior legislation.'

The elder researcher besides thanked Ken for the accusation helium had provided.

The British expat said helium has ne'er heard from German investigators pursuing up connected the accusation passed to them by Operation Grange. 

Ken is not the lone idiosyncratic to person known Brueckner who has claimed they were ignored erstwhile raising concerns astir the German.

Last year, it was revealed that a German antheral named Helge B. approached Scotland Yard successful 2008, suspecting Brueckner's involvement.

Speaking to the German tabloid Bild, Helge said: 'I called Scotland Yard successful 2008, ringing the Maddie hotline. I told them I cognize idiosyncratic who has thing to bash with it and gave them his name. They noted my idiosyncratic details, my telephone number, but thing happened. Nothing! They ne'er adjacent rang maine back.

'I thought to myself: I conjecture they'll beryllium successful interaction astatine immoderate point.'

What's more, different past friends of Brueckner's person pointed the digit astatine him.

Speaking to The Telegraph successful 2020, Austrian Michael Tatschl - who was friends with the German since 2000 erstwhile they lived successful Portugal - said helium was definite Brueckner was the 1 down Madeleine's suspected abduction.

'I cognize helium did it,' Tatschl told the paper astatine the time.

'I was surviving with him astatine the time. He was my champion person and helium was decidedly a pervert and much than susceptible of snatching a child, for intersexual kicks oregon money.

'I was definite it was him the infinitesimal the constabulary came to find maine successful Austria.

'They were precise wide with maine from the archetypal minute. They said 'we are investigating Maddie McCann and Christian Brueckner' and I told them I knew it already.

'I was convinced it was him,' Tatschl added.

And successful an interrogation with the Mail On Sunday successful 2021, Brueckner's ex-girlfriend claimed helium admitted being adjacent to the McCann's flat connected May 3, 2007.

Nakscije Miftari recalled Brueckner falling soundless erstwhile the taxable of Madeleine's abduction was raised by friends during a enactment successful aboriginal 2014 astatine their level successful Braunschweig, bluish Germany.

'I retrieve helium made nary reply to the question. After they went, I asked astir Maddie arsenic I did not cognize thing astir her,' she said.

'I asked him astir it and helium said, 'I cognize astir Maddie, I was adjacent the edifice astatine the time. I was surviving successful the country astatine the time. I americium not going to accidental thing more. I americium not a anserine guy, I americium a businessman.'

Ken's assertion that John told him Brueckner was plotting the kidnap to marque wealth besides tracks with past comments from different ex-girlfriend.

Speaking to The Mirror successful 2020, a British ex-girlfriend of the German said Brueckner's lone passionateness - too cars - was making money.

'Other radical get joyousness retired of films, music, socialising, that benignant of thing,' she said astatine the time. 'But for [Brueckner], if determination was nary wealth to beryllium made retired of something, past determination was nary constituent doing it.'

Like those who knew Brueckner from the past, Ken besides believes the German was susceptible of kidnapping a kid - but suspects helium did not enactment alone.

He is of the content that it was Brueckner who planned the kidnap, but that it was John who entered the McCann's edifice country to instrumentality her from the resort, earlier the brace went to a 3rd person's location to hold retired the archetypal hunt operation.

However, erstwhile the radical realised the media attraction the lawsuit was getting, Ken said helium fears they had nary prime but to 'dispose' of the youngster.

'John did archer maine that the kid wouldn't beryllium harmed, truthful successful the backmost of my caput there's a anticipation she could inactive beryllium live and she was sold,' helium said.

'But successful theory, erstwhile she was taken backmost [to a adjacent location], I judge she could person been disposed of. When the media identified the people successful her eye, she became a liability successful my sentiment - and truthful [the group] wouldn't person been capable to merchantability her.'

Asked whether helium regrets not going consecutive to the constabulary aft John confessed to him about Brueckner's plot, a tearful Ken told MailOnline that helium does.

'I bash regret that, it haunts me. It haunts me. I've had galore sleepless nights implicit it, going backmost implicit it. Trying to enactment myself successful the aforesaid position.

'I've adjacent thought precocious possibly I could spell done hypnosis to spot if there's thing determination [that I've forgotten]. I'd adjacent beryllium consenting to bash that.'

He said that if John and Brueckner were behind Madeleine's abduction, the thought of them going escaped leaves him 'gutted'. 'I've ne'er felt specified a nonaccomplishment successful my life,' helium said.

'I consciousness successful a mode I've failed arsenic a assemblage champion. It makes maine consciousness awful. I've tried my best, but matters autumn connected deaf ears. I don't cognize what much I could person done.'

Ken said helium knows that astatine immoderate point, he's going to person to determination on. 

'I'm conscionable wholly astonished and shocked with it each really,' helium said of the information that determination is yet to beryllium justness for Madeleine's disappearance.

'I'm hoping this volition yet pb to a nationalist enquiry. And I'm consenting to be those enquiries truthful that the information tin beryllium established erstwhile and for all, successful the anticipation that Madeleine tin inactive beryllium recovered - either dormant oregon alive' helium added.

Ken said his bosom goes retired to Kate and Gerry McCann, 'because justness has not been served astatine the moment. Justice has failed these people.'

He besides warned that it is lone a substance of clip earlier thing other like Madeleine's kidnapping happens again, 'because of the magnitude of radical hidden off-gird'.

Brueckner is presently successful situation successful Germany having been convicted of rape, but is scheduled for merchandise successful September 2025. It remains to beryllium seen if helium volition beryllium formally charged with Madeleine's kidnapping.

He is presently lasting proceedings in Braunschweig, accused of raping 3 big women successful Portugal and indecently exposing himself to 2 girls - aged 10 and 11 astatine the time.

The existent proceedings started successful February and has heard from witnesses who accidental they saw Brueckner successful harrowing enactment tapes which showed the rape of an aged pistillate and a young girl. 

It was besides reported earlier this period that British constabulary officers progressive successful the hunt for Madeleine will beryllium asked to attest successful the on-going trial.

Brueckner's defence person tried respective times to person witnesses ruled retired saying the lawsuit is unfair and prejudiced against their lawsuit due to the fact that of the nexus to Madeleine.

All attempts person truthful acold failed.

MailOnline reached retired to the Luz Ocean Club, Scotland Yard, British constabulary and German prosecutors for remark aft speaking with Ken earlier this year.

Scotland Yard said it had thing to add, portion the British constabulary presumption Ken said helium had fixed a connection to successful 2007 said it had nary grounds successful its archive.

German prosecutors refused to remark connected the claims.

MailOnline has received nary effect from Luz Ocean Club.

Ken inactive lives successful Portugal successful a location with his wife, and raises horses connected their land.