BEINSMARTSIDE UK Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner released from prison in Germany

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner released from prison in Germany

September 17, 2025September 17, 2025 | .. | 0 Comment | 7:31 am
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner released from prison in Germany post thumbnail image
Christian Brueckner had been serving a seven-year sentence for rape (Picture: AFP/Getty; Phil Harris/Reach)

The top suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has walked free from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime.

Christian Brueckner has been linked by police to the case of the missing British toddler since 2020.

At the time, the German paedophile was still in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal where the McCann family were on holiday in 2007.

German newspaper Der Spiegel said Brueckner has been electronically tagged, must declare a place of residence, and cannot leave the country without permission.

He was filmed this morning leaving the Hanover prison in a black Audi being driven by his lawyer.

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In addition to his conviction for the rape of the woman in the Algarve, he also has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking.

State prosecutors in Germany have said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting Brueckner was involved in Maddie’s disappearance, including three witnesses who said he had confessed to them.

He lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, with a period spent working as a pool maintenance assistant at the Praia da Luz resort where the McCanns were staying when their daughter vanished.

But extensive searches for more direct evidence – including in June this year – have ended without success.

On Monday, the Metropolitan Police revealed officers had requested to interview the 49-year-old suspect – but he had refused to cooperate.

epa12384024 Christian B., a suspect in the case of British girl Maddie McCann (unseen), leaves by car after his release from a high-security prison in Sehnde, near Hanover, Germany, 17 September 2025. German prisoner Christian Brueckner, the main suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, is expected to be released no later than 17 September 2025 after serving a sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Portugal. EPA/FILIP SINGER
Brueckner is seen leaving by car after his release from a high-security prison in Sehnde, near Hanover, Germany (Picture: EPA)

An ITV documentary airing tonight claims Brueckner made chilling comments when he moved back to Germany to run a corner shop, years after Maddie went missing.

Investigative journalist Rob Hyde told the programme: ‘A person who worked there told me that a news piece about the Madeleine McCann case was running on the TV.

‘Brueckner then flips out, starts shouting “the girl is dead”.’

The reporter added: ‘He [then] makes a really odd comment which is: “Yes, pigs can also eat human flesh you know”.’

In the programme, titled Madeleine McCann: Searching For The Prime Suspect, one of the German’s fellow prisoners claimed he had confessed to abducting a girl.

Larentius Codin was giving evidence in a separate case when he alleged Brueckner told him that he had taken a child in Portugal.

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