Madeleine McCann: New ITV documentary details investigation and hunt for suspect

Madeleine McCann: The Hunt For The Prime Suspect aired on Thursday night (23 July)

An ITV documentary about the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007 has provided new details about the case.

Madeleine McCann: The Hunt For The Prime Suspect aired on Thursday night, and contained information gathered from both UK and German authorities.

Three-year-old McCann disappeared overnight from a resort in Portugal’s Algarve region on 12 May 2003. The case attracted widespread media attention at the time, and the unsolved case is still regularly examined in media.

In the documentary, the authorities discuss evidence relating to “prime suspect”, Christian Brückner. This includes a mobile phone, previously thought to belong to Brückner, which was “pinged” by a mobile phone tower in Praia da Luz during the night when Maddie went missing.

However, ITV stated: “The Portuguese police were not able to connect Christian Brückner and his prepaid mobile phone to the cell tower data and they declined to comment on the claims made in this programme.

“In an earlier statement they said their investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance continues in conjunction with UK and German authorities.”

The documentary also includes interviews with UK authorities, as they reflect on their handling of the tragic case.

Graham Hill, former Surrey Police detective, said that international co-operation between policing authorities still has a long way to go.

“I’m not so sure that much or anything different will be done because I’m not so sure we’ve learned the lessons,” he tells the programme.

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Some ITV viewers praised the documentary after it aired, with one Twitter user describing it as “heartbreaking”.