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A BRITISH pensioner has been arrested after allegedly attacking a hotel manager with an axe.
According to the 55-year-old victim Victor Alberto Barillas Hernández, the attack was launched without warning and left him with “multiple b…
HELGE Busching is a man sleeping with one eye open – for he is a former pal of paedophile and Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner… and helped put him behind bars.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Busching reveals the…
PAEDOPHILE serial killer Marc Dutroux tortured, raped and murdered girls as young as eight in a case that shocked Europe.
Dutroux, now 68, kept his kidnapped victims chained up in a dungeon – earning his infamous nickname as Le Monstre, or The Monster.
Marc Dutroux, the paedophile at the centre of Belgium’s child abduction and murder scandal, in 1996[/caption]
Convicted child rapist Marc Dutroux leaves the Justice Palace of Neufchateau, southern Belgium[/caption]
Madeleine McCann was three when she vanished while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007[/caption]
Prime suspect and paedophile Christian Brueckner is set for release from jail[/caption]
It comes as a notorious network of paedophiles linked to Dutroux ordered the kidnap of Madeleine McCann, it is feared.
Two of his six known victims starved to death, locked up in his soundproof cellar in Charleroi, Belgium.
The psychopath is also believed to have murdered at least two other girls and sold other children into slavery abroad in a four-year reign of terror – helped by his own wife and other accomplices.
It only ended in 1996 after cops rescued two kidnap victims aged 12 and 14 who had been held captive in the dungeon.
He was arrested in 1996 and jailed for life in 2004 and is thought to have links to European networks of child-sex traffickers.
A former top Belgian official, who led the inquiry into the murderer and child molester Dutroux, says a gang of traffickers could be connected to Madeleine’s disappearance.
Cops investigating prime suspect and paedophile Christian Brueckner — set for release from jail tomorrow — are taking the claims seriously.
Madeleine was three when she vanished while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
Three days earlier Belgian cops had issued an alert to European police forces over intelligence that a paedophile gang had ordered a small child to be snatched.
Marc Verwilghen, who served as Belgium’s justice minister for three years, told The Sun: “I have never had access to the Madeleine McCann files.
“All I can say is as soon as I heard about the case I had deja vu — because it reminded me straight away of Dutroux.
“When you look at the case it is of course possible Madeleine was stolen to order. The alert that was sent looks like it must have come from Belgian police and it should have been taken seriously.
“Dutroux investigators uncovered reports of possible paedophile rings operating in Belgium at that time but couldn’t finish their enquiry as this was focused on Dutroux, handling him as a lone actor.”
Admitting many “similarities” between the cases, Mr Verwilghen added: “It was clear paedophile networks and child- trafficking really did exist in Europe — we know this since Dutroux, but the enquiry committee was never allowed to look into them properly.
“It was clear that these existed to make money.
“These could be informal networks, one person dealing with another, but they existed.
Belgium’s Marc Verwilghen fears a gang of traffickers could be connected to Maddie’s disappearance[/caption]
Three days before Maddie’s disappearance, Belgian cops had issued an alert over intelligence that a paedophile gang had ordered a small child to be snatched[/caption]
“The Dutroux case showed us the abduction of children took organisation and planning and more than one person to make this work.
“Intelligence suggests a paedophile ring in Belgium made an order for a young girl three days before Madeleine McCann was taken. Somebody connected to this group saw Maddie, took a photograph of her and sent it to Belgium. The purchaser agreed that the girl was suitable and Maddie was taken.”
The Belgian police warning first emerged in 2008 when a fax was released as part of a bundle of files surrounding the McCann case.
In 2016, British cops probing her disappearance started looking into a gang of European traffickers, but the theory has never been publicly linked to German Brueckner.
Officials investigating the rapist believe Madeleine was likely stolen to order rather than being snatched by a “lone wolf”.
But their probe is focused solely on his alleged role and not on any wider paedophile network.
A source close to the case in Germany said yesterday: “Police take seriously the claims that emerged from Belgium — that Maddie was ordered to be stolen.
“They believe there is no way whoever took her could have been acting alone — that would have made no sense.
“But there is not interest in the network, which creates too many new agencies and they want to keep their focus on the current suspect.”
HERE’S a timeline of the case which has gripped the world:
May 3, 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016
Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany.
Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
February 16, 2016
Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop.
He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then.
May 3, 2017
Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
September 27, 2018
On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy.
He is extradited to Germany the following year.
December 16, 2019
Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed.
He was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
June 4, 2020
German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead.
German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner).
June 23, 2023
In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024
Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024
Brueckner was acquitted of all claims.
Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
September 17, 2025
Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken.
Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year – or over the McCann case.
June 1, 2025
Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal.
It lasts for just three days.
THE witness who claims Christian Brueckner all but confessed to snatching Madeleine McCann plans to flee Germany — fearing a furious revenge attack.
Helge Busching, 54, sparked th…
A NOTORIOUS network of paedophiles linked to a serial child-killer ordered the kidnap of Madeleine McCann, it is feared.
A former top Belgian official, who led the inquiry into th…
A REAL-life Gossip Girl was arrested for “blackmailing an entire city” after she allegedly told lies about locals before demanding cash to delete them.
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Anastasia ‘Taso’ Pletner, 28, member of Russian protest group Pussy Riot, was one of five…
THE infamous Tinder Swindler has been arrested under mysterious circumstances.
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IN the gilded halls of Dubai’s most exclusive nightclubs, Runako Celina watched on in horror as vulnerable young women rubbed shoulders with VIPs and celebrities – touting themselves for sex.
Going undercover to expose the disturbing phenomenon of so-called ‘Porta Potty’ parties, the reporter had infiltrated a dark world of mysterious ‘suicides‘ and vile sex rings allegedly catering for top clientele including “musicians, footballers and presidents”.
OnlyFans model Maria Kovalchuk, 20, was found seriously wounded in Dubai after going missing for more than a week[/caption]
Maria later revealed she was beaten into a coma by Russians at a Dubai party[/caption]
Monic Karungi fell to her death from the tenth storey of a Dubai tower[/caption]
In a new BBC documentary, titled Death in Dubai: #DubaiPortaPotty, Runako reveals how shameless traffickers have taken grip in the glamorous city, holding young women against their will until they agree to sell their bodies for sex.
The show also explores the deaths of two young women who fell from high-rise tower blocks in the city, with their families now questioning the official rulings of suicide and raising serious concerns about the thoroughness of investigations.
The phrase Porta Potty, first coined by comedian Dave Chapelle, refers to men who get a kick out of subjecting women to depraved sex acts.
In the film, one alleged ringleader behind a Dubai trafficking ring that facilitates women for such warped parties is tracked down.
Charles ‘Abbey’ Mwesigwa, who has strong connections to the UK and describes himself as a former London bus driver, tells an undercover male reporter posing as a potential client that his “girls” are “open-minded” when asked if they’d consider “Porta Potty.”
Mwesigwa has since denied being involved in sex trafficking or playing any part in related violence.
The documentary and an accompanying six-part podcast show the dark side of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is now home to an estimated quarter of a million British expats including countless celebrities.
Young women are lured to the wealthy nation with offers of legitimate jobs and a bling lifestyle, only to find themselves being forced into prostitution.
There are reports of influencers from Britain and other Western countries being offered huge sums of money to take part in cruel sex acts in the oil-rich state.
Many of the clients are European men who go to Dubai to take part in these depraved parties, knowing that the police turn a blind eye to what’s going on.
It is estimated that there are 80,000 sex workers in the city, which has a population of three million.
Investigative reporter Runako, who posed as an influencer so she could film in Dubai, tells The Sun: “We were in the glamorous super clubs of Dubai and there were celebrities on the guest list.
“It was in these places I felt the tension the most, where I felt unsafe, where I was propositioned.
“There were people from all over the world who seemed to be making negotiations with men.”
Runako wanted to uncover the truth after reports of Monic Karungi’s death in April 2022 received 450million views on social media.
The 23-year-old from Uganda, who went under the name Mona Kizz on Instagram, was called a “sl*t” when a video appeared to show her taking part in a Porta Potty party.
But Runako worked out that it wasn’t Monic in the clip and sought out the dead woman’s family in the central African nation.
One of her relatives insists: “My Monic can’t commit suicide.”
Friends told how a man called Bash Umar promised Monic work in bars or hotels in Dubai.
But when she got to the glittering city, she was held in a grubby flat with 50 girls who were all forced to work in the sex trade.
The girls were allegedly told they had to work off a £2,000 debt for their visa and travel, but he never let them go no matter how many men they slept with.
There is no way she committed suicide. My sister loved life
Kayla’s brother
One of the other victims is Kayla Birungi, who fell from the 13th floor of an apartment in 2021.
A police investigation concluded it was suicide.
But one of her brothers says: “She was my best friend. She told me she was coming back to Uganda.
“There is no way she committed suicide. My sister loved life. We need justice for our sister.”
Troy, a former operations manager for Mwesigwa’s gang, told the documentary that Kayla went on to the balcony alone after vaping with an Arab client. Toxicology reports found no trace of drugs or alcohol in her system.
Another source told Runako that the client had argued with Kayla prior to her death.
Both Monic and Kayla plummeted from apartments in the same part of Dubai called Al Barsha.
Charles Mwesigwa, a former London bus driver pictured with a UK driving licence, is unmasked in the documentary as the alleged boss of a degrading sex-trade ring[/caption]
Dubai has a glitzy image but a seedy underbelly[/caption]
Troy, who says he tried to help some of the women escape and quit the trade after a year, claims that Mwesigwa took his trafficked women to the most upmarket clubs in order to find men willing to pay for sex.
The sex workers would be asked to sleep with powerful and famous names.
Troy claims: “They see musicians, they see footballers, they see presidents because the places Abbey [Mwesigwa] takes them to are fantastic places in Dubai, those expensive clubs.
“These are men who come from different countries in the world, they look for girls who will fulfil their sex desires.
“I have heard about the type of sex that I have never seen in my life.”
Maria is one of a number of women to speak out about Dubai’s dark underworld[/caption]
Kayla Birungi also died after falling from a Dubai high-rise building[/caption]
Monic’s family hold up photos of her[/caption]
There are other sex rings operating in the Emirati state.
A woman using the false name of Lexi, who was trafficked by another illegal prostitution network, tells how she was offered up to £3,000 to take part in humiliating “fetish” acts.
And Kayla and Monic are just two examples of suspicious deaths.
Anti-trafficking activist Marriam Mwiza, who runs the non-governmental organisation Overseas Workers Voices Uganda, sees dead bodies landing back home.
She explains: “We get cases of people who have been promised to work, let’s say, in a supermarket. Then she ends up sold as a prostitute.
“I get like five to ten cases daily. Every month I see the number of cases, bodies landing at Entebbe airport.
“Most are from Dubai. If nothing is done, we are likely to go back into a state of slave trade.”
Every month I see the number of cases, bodies landing
Marriam Mwiza
But it is not just women from Uganda. There are plenty of other disturbing stories coming from the UAE.
One British influencer claimed on TikTok that a prince had offered her £16,000 to engage in a sex act and earlier this year Ukrainian OnlyFans model Maria Kovalchuk, 20, said she was beaten into a coma by Russians at a Dubai party.
Runako says: “This was described to me as a phenomenon, something that is very frequently happening and not just to women of African descent.”
Mwesigwa’s alleged operation shows the international nature of the problem.
The documentary hears how the alleged trafficker regularly travels back to the UK and brings young women from Uganda on tourist visas to the UAE.
Troy claims: “He is selling humans.
“He will use TikTok to find the girls he wants. He will ask his clients what kind of girls they want. He gets people in Uganda to find the girls, he applies for a visa and within three days he has one for them
“He takes them to nice restaurants to brainwash them into the business. Those who say they are not willing to provide sex… he locks them in their room until they are ready to work.”
Because they have overstayed on their tourist visa, such women are often too scared to go to the police.
Troy adds: “These girls are traumatised. You can’t go home because you know you are hunted by the police.”
Mwesigwa said in a statement to the BBC: “These are all false allegations. I’m just a party person who invites big spenders on my tables hence making many girls flock to my tables.
“I knew both girls and they were renting with different landlords. If no one in both flats was arrested or any of the landlords, then there was a reason.
“Both incidents were investigated by the Dubai police and maybe they can help you.”
For Runako, it is also important that social media users in the West don’t jump to conclusions when rumours spread about people they don’t know.
She says: “The internet painted a picture of Monic as a money-hungry influencer.”
Those people who met Monic insist she did not give into requests to take part in degrading acts.
And that all she wanted was to get back home.
Death in Dubai: #DubaiPortaPotty is available now on BBC iPlayer. There is also a six-part podcast titled Death in Dubai on BBC Sounds.
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