Police are said to be urgently working to charge the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, fearing he could walk free in just days unless they act swiftly.
Christian Brueckner, 48, is the main suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
Brueckner, who is currently serving a prison sentence for the 2005 rape of an American woman in the same Algarve resort, is seeking early release after serving less than half of his seven-year term.
His bid for release has left investigators on edge, especially following the shock acquittal of Brueckner last year in a separate case involving allegations of rape and sex abuse in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
With his release date looming in September, police are racing against the clock to bring charges in the McCann case, as a new arrest warrant could ensure Brueckner remains behind bars.
A source close to the investigation told the Sun: ‘Normally a move like his bid for an early release would be laughed out of court.
‘But everyone is very nervous after what happened with his rape trial last year. The court was surprisingly favourable to him.
‘Brueckner’s lawyers know they need to go for this now, in case an appeal against his acquittal is allowed. That will create a new arrest warrant and he’ll be stuck behind bars.’
Brueckner denies the charges against him.
German investigators sensationally named Brueckner as the key suspect in the abduction of the British three-year-old Maddie McCann in 2020
Christian Brueckner , 48, is the main suspect in the disappearance and presumed murder of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007
Kate and Gerry McCann, parents of missing British girl Madeleine McCann, hold pyjamas similar to those of their daughter during a press conference June 2007
A number of key witnesses have been called to private meetings as prosecutors prepare for the possibility of charging Brueckner with Madeleine’s disappearance.
The investigators’ move is said to be a last-ditch effort to secure his continued detention.
While a German court cleared Brueckner of other rape charges in Portugal, his current sentence keeps him incarcerated.
However, the clock is ticking on that sentence, and if the court grants his release request before any charges are brought against him for the McCann case, he would walk free.
If Brueckner is released, authorities could file an appeal, delaying his freedom. However, if the appeal fails, the only remaining option would be to press charges related to Madeleine’s disappearance.
That would allow prosecutors to issue a new arrest warrant, potentially keeping Brueckner behind bars while they continue to build a case.
Though prosecutors are still confident they have evidence to charge Brueckner, they remain cautious.
Investigators have not yet publicly confirmed details of any new physical evidence, although sources claim they possess strong circumstantial proof.
His lawyers, however, have indicated their intention to vigorously challenge any new charges.
Brueckner, who was named the prime suspect in the McCann case in 2020, was allegedly linked to the crime through a call made to his mobile phone on the night Madeleine disappeared.
Police are also probing his connections to a white camper van and a Jaguar XJ6 seen in the area at the time.
Authorities continue to work on the case, but the prosecution’s plans hinge on an upcoming ruling on Brueckner’s early release.
Christian Brueckner sits in the courtroom at Braunschweig District Court in October 2024 moments before he was found not guilty on all sex crimes charges
Kate and Gerry McCann, the parents of missing three-year-old girl Madeleine McCann, stop to talk to the press after attending a church service in Praia da Luz in 2007
Madeleine McCann (pictured) went missing on May 3, 2007 at the age of just three. She has never been found
If successful, it would delay any charges or trial relating to Madeleine’s disappearance.
Three-year-old Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar.
Despite a huge international manhunt and global media attention, no trace of her has been found, but investigations are continuing in the ‘Maddie’ case, prosecutor Wolters declared.
‘At present, I am unable to say when we will be able to conclude these investigations and with what result,’ he said.
The charges of which Brueckner was acquitted last October came about as a result of investigations into the ‘Maddie’ case, according to prosecutors.
In one of the cases, prosecutors had accused Brueckner of entering the holiday apartment of a woman aged between 70 and 80, tying her up and beating and sexually assaulting her.
In another case, he had been accused of entering a young Irish woman’s apartment via her balcony while she was sleeping, threatening her with a knife and raping her several times.
He had also been accused of exposing himself in front of a 10-year-old German girl on a beach and to an 11-year-old Portuguese girl at a playground.
But the defence raised serious doubts about the cases against Brueckner, which were based on testimonies but not forensic evidence.
Irish tour guide Hazel Behan earlier in the trial gave a harrowing account of her ordeal, allegedly at Brueckner’s hands, on the Algarve.
Madeleine McCann (pictured) went missing on May 3, 2007 at the age of just three. She has never been found. German criminal Christian Brueckner has been named by German prosecutors as their chief suspect in her disappearance
Ms Behan, 40, who waived her anonymity said she had returned to her flat in Praia da Roche, in Portugal, in June 2004, after a row with her then-boyfriend when she was just 20.
Appearing in court in May 2023, she described how she got into bed fully clothed and then fell asleep, only to wake moments later when she heard her name being called.
Ms Behan said: ‘I thought it was my boyfriend who had come to apologise. After a short space of time I said to myself in my head “He doesn’t have a key so how did he get in?”
‘I had such a fear which I have never experienced and it felt as if all the blood in my body went to my feet.
‘I turned and saw a man fully dressed in black from head to toe, with a knife and the first thing he did was put his knee into my back and a hand over my mouth.
‘He pulled my head and said in English: “Don’t f***ing scream or I will kill you”, so that’s why I didn’t. It was all very quick.
‘He pulled my head back and said in English: “Don’t look at me”, and then I smelt a fruity smell. I knew it was condoms, so I knew it was going to happen.’
Ms Behan, from Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland, added: ‘I have had three children, but I have never felt a pain like that and I felt it would last forever.’
But Mr Fuelscher said in his closing speech his client was innocent of the attack.
