Madeleine McCann case rocked by major update

Christian Brueckner, the German man at the center of the Madeleine McCann investigation, could be released from prison in as little as two weeks, according to reports.

Many questions still surround the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished in Portugal in May 2007. The investigation, however, has continued.

In June, German and Portuguese authorities launched a new search in the Algarve region, near the area where convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner once lived.

”They know he did it”

Brueckner has been considered the prime suspect in the case since 2020, though no formal charges have ever been filed in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance. Today, he’s serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Germany, a crime caught on camera.

That sentence is officially set to end on September 17, but sources in Portugal suggest he could be released up to 10 days early.

A German insider familiar with the case told the Spanish publication The Olive Press: “I’ve been told from very good sources that they will let him go quietly to avoid any big media attention. They also don’t want the chance of any vigilante attacking him, in case they need him back to face other charges soon. Meanwhile the police are working around the clock to try to find the final bit of the jigsaw to charge him over the death of Maddie. They know he did it, but they need to prove it”.

Not aware of the plans

Brueckner’s defense team, however, have denied claims he will be walking free so soon. Speaking to The Mirror, they said they were not aware of any plans for an early release.

The convicted sex offender’s brutal attack in 2005 occurred in Praia da Luz, Portugal, near the spot where Madeleine vanished during a family holiday in May 2007. One of his hairs was found on the victim’s bed, which led to his 2018 conviction.

Despite being Germany’s “prime suspect” in the high-profile case, Brueckner is set to be released from Sehnde Prison in Lower Saxony. He is also officially listed as an “arguido,” or suspect, in Portugal.

It remains unclear whether he will be monitored upon release. German authorities reportedly want him tagged, have his passport confiscated, and keep him under close surveillance. His lawyer has suggested Brueckner may try to flee to a country with no extradition treaty with the U.K. or EU.

“There is no-one else”

Investigators have applied for Brueckner to be placed under “führungsaufsicht,” a form of judicial supervision for high-risk former prisoners. Under the rules, he would be banned from schools and places frequented by children, have to check in regularly with police, and need official permission to move house.

Brueckner has repeatedly denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance. At the time she vanished, he was living in a rundown farmhouse on the edge of Praia da Luz.

German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters, who is leading the investigation, has previously said his office is “sure” Brueckner killed the three-year-old.

“There is no-one else. We have evidence which speaks against [Brückner], which indicates that he is responsible for the disappearance and the death of Madeleine McCann. We haven’t found anything in the last five years that exonerates [him]. We found evidence that strengthens our case. But in our view it’s not strong enough to make a guilty verdict likely, and that’s why so far we couldn’t charge him or apply for an arrest warrant.”