Holiday rep ‘knew’ Maddie suspect Christian Brueckner ‘was fiend who raped her because of his eyes’

A HOLIDAY rep “knew” Christian Brueckner was the man who raped her by his “piercing blue eyes”, a court has heard.

Hazel Behan recognised him in photos released as he was linked to Madeleine McCann’s 2007 disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal.

She claims Brueckner — wearing a mask — tied her up and raped her three times in 2004 after climbing on to her balcony, also in the Algarve.

Ms Behan, from Dublin, told the court in Braunschweig, Germany: “I remember he had piercing blue eyes. That’s how I recognised him in the paper.

“As soon as I saw his eyes they made me sick.”

She added: “I remember he had the most piercing blue eyes - I don’t know if it’s because he was dressed all in black but I remember they stood out.

The mum-of-three wept as she gave the evidence - seen as crucial to keeping Brueckner behind bars so he can face Maddie charges.

Madeleine, three, disappeared from an apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal’s Algarve coast while on holiday with parents Kate and Gerry, now both 55, of Rothley, Leics.

The mum told how she reported the attack to police but plain-clothes cops followed her - with instructions to find out if she was “a slut”.

They also told her to “go home” to Ireland, claiming she could ruin the reputation of tourism in the resort and threatened her friends “might lose their jobs”.

German investigators believe Brueckner abducted and murdered her - although no charges have been filed against him.

Brueckner is on trial for a string of rapes and indecent exposures, uncovered during the Madeleine investigation.

He denies the claims and the trial continues.