The 48-year-old is behind bars near Hanover, where he is serving seven years for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz, the holiday resort where Madeleine vanished in 2007
The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is due to be released from jail on the anniversary of the youngster’s heartbroken parents being made “arguidos”. German prosecutor Hans-Christian Wolters revealed that Christian Brueckner is set to walk free on the poignant date of September 7 after serving a separate sentence for rape.
And in a further blow to Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry, he rubbished reports that witnesses have been called to secret meetings to prepare for the eventuality of charges and admitted there are still no plans to charge Brueckner in relation to the three-year-old’s disappearance in May 2007.
Mr Wolters told the Mirror: “The scheduled release date would be September 7, 2025, provided that he pays a fine that is still outstanding by then. There are currently no preparations for an indictment in the Maddie case.
“No witnesses were contacted or anything like that. That wouldn’t make sense in Germany anyway. We don’t need witnesses for an indictment. The witnesses are only needed for a main trial. But as I said, an indictment is not currently planned.”
Brueckner, 48, is behind bars near Hanover, where he is serving seven years for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz, the holiday resort where Madeleine vanished. Prosecutors are still waiting for an appeal against the paedo and rapist’s surprise acquittal over other rape charges last year.
But Mr Wolters says he doesn’t expect a decision until this summer and it is feared it may not come until after Brueckner’s release. Mr Wolters said: “We are currently waiting for the decision of the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe on the cases heard last year. But that will certainly take a few more months.
“In my opinion, the Federal Court of Justice will not make a decision before the summer at the earliest. There is no specific date.” He added: “If he has served his sentence and there is no arrest warrant, he must be released from prison. That is how a constitutional state works. You can’t just lock people up or keep them locked up.”
Kate and Gerry were formally named “arguidos” – or suspects – in their three-year-old daughter’s disappearance by Portuguese detectives on September 7, 2007. They returned to the UK within days and Portuguese prosecutors later admitted there was no new evidence to justify re-questioning them.
Mr and Mrs McCann’s status of “arguidos” was lifted in 2008 and the couple, who have suffered setback after setback in the search for their daughter, eventually received an apology in 2023 for the way detectives investigated the case and treated the family.
Brueckner, who used to live in a ramshackle farmhouse in the area where Madeleine disappeared and drove a camper van, vehemently denies having anything to do with her disappearance. He has submitted a request for early release from his sentence and last month it was reported the case could lead to him being freed within days.
However, Mr Wolters hit back at the claims, telling us: “The Hildesheim District Court will decide on this. However, we do not know when the decision will be made.”
He added: “There is no fixed date for an early release. This would be up to the Hildesheim District Court, although we would still have the option of appealing against a release decision, which would prevent an immediate release.”
Mr Wolters publicly linked Brueckner to Madeleine in 2020 and has repeatedly appealed for new information. He has said a call was made to Brueckner’s phone number on May 3 — placing his mobile in Praia da Luz when she vanished. He has appealed for information on a Jaguar XJ6 and white camper van the suspect is understood to have driven on the Algarve.
Brueckner was also named to cops by petty crook and associate Helge B in 2017. Helge B claims they were at a festival in Spain in 2008 when Brueckner all but confessed, allegedly telling him: “She didn’t scream.”
Despite the claims and worldwide publicity prosecutors have failed to make progress in charging Brueckner in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance and there are fears that if he is released in just over 150 days time, he will travel to a country beyond justice from Madeleine investigators and disappear.
In an exclusive interview with the Mirror in January, Bruckner’s lawyer told how his client has discussed plans to change his appearance and head to a country with no extradition to his homeland or the UK.
Philipp Marquort said: “Sometimes he wants to stay here in Germany, sometimes he wants to leave Europe. If I were him I would leave and look for a state which doesn’t extradite to Europe or Great Britain, maybe like Suriname.”
He added: “We talked about the possibility of changing his appearance. I would get a face operation if I were him. I mentioned it would be nice for him to change how he looks so nobody can recognise him anymore.
“Right now he doesn’t have any money to do that. He’s just the guy who tries to get a fake moustache or sunglasses or a hat. But if I were him I’d get plastic surgery.”
Brueckner, who still owns a remote disused factory which was previously raided by police in Neuwegesleben, eastern Germany, will have to pay an outstanding fine of roughly €1,400 (£1,176) before he is freed in September, or face being kept in until January next year.
But Mr Marquort told us that even if the crook struggles to pay it himself he knows of “some crazy Brits” who would. Speaking at his office in Kiel, Germany, Mr Marquort also revealed his client may sue German prosecutors for naming him as the prime suspect in the case. And he said he expects Brueckner will soon be given day-release to prepare him for life outside prison.
Asked about the possibility of Brueckner being let out on day-release ahead of the end of his sentence, Mr Wolters last night said: “The prison decides on exits and holidays at its own discretion. Therefore, I cannot comment on this.”