A WOMAN who claims she was raped by the Madeleine McCann suspect is suing Portuguese cops for failing to investigate her case properly.
Holiday rep Hazel Behan immediately reported her brutal 2004 torture at the hands of a masked sicko in the Algarve to cops.
4
4
4
She is now taking Portuguese detectives to court claiming they failed to take steps to identify her attacker who she believes was Christian B – prime suspect over the disappearance of Maddie in May 2007.
Hazel claims bungling cops failed to seize the blood-stained bed sheets and broken false nails from the struggle which could have contained her attacker’s DNA.
Her application claims the same force failed to provide Hazel with a translator so she could understand the process and make a more detailed witness statement.
The community worker’s claim even claims the cops put her under surveillance and asked her to return to Ireland because her attack was “damaging” the tourism industry.
Hazel said: “Lodging my case with the European Court of Human Rights is not just about seeking justice for myself—it’s about standing up after being silenced and ignored for far too long.
“I carry the pain of how I was treated every single day, but I hope the Court will ensure that my human rights are protected in line with the very standards that is expected right across Europe.
“And that maybe, through this, Portugal, and other countries, will treat victims of rape, both domestic and foreign, with the decency and respect we deserve.”
Hazel went to cops claiming Christian B was the man who attacked her after seeing pictures of him when he was revealed as the prime Maddie suspect, in 2020.
She says Portuguese cops simply closed the case without asking her.
And she alleges their “systematic failings” undermined her rape trial last year, which saw Christian B cleared and sensationally put on the path to freedom.
Prolific burglar and convicted child abuser Christian B raped an American pensioner just a year after Hazel’s ordeal – in the village Madeleine was snatched from, Praia da Luz.
Hazel’s lawyer, Darragh Mackin, said: “The European Court of Human Rights exists for a reason.
“It exists to ensure victims like Hazel Behan are guaranteed a minimum level of protections across the various member states.
“Through this action, Hazel has highlighted the systematic and inexcusable failings by the Portuguese authorities has denied her and many other victims, justice for nearly two decades.
“These failings have ultimately contributed to the acquittal of one of the most high profile perpetrators in modern history.
“This case is about ensuring that victims of sexual violence are not ignored, dismissed, or silenced by the very systems that are meant to protect them.”
German investigators are currently in a race against time to stop Christian B being released from prison – potentially in a matter of weeks.
They have appealed for a retrial of the sex offences he was cleared of last year – including Hazel’s rape case.
A conviction would allow them to keep him behind bars indefinitely and buy them crucial time to continue investigating the Maddie case.
4
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 – and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31, 2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September
September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe going until March 2018
November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria
May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office
November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
November 2018 – UK police re-examine a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents
June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers
June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo Christian Brueckner
April 2022 – Brueckner formally made an “arguido”
May 2023 – Police search remote Algarve reservoir Brueckner called his “little paradise”
