The main suspect in the disappearance of the British girl Madeleine McCann in 2007 in Portugal, Christian Brückner, was released from prison on Wednesday in Germany after serving a sentence for rape in another case.
German prosecutor Christian Wolters, who was unable to prevent this release due to lack of sufficient evidence at this stage to obtain an indictment, expressed concern, in a recent interview with AFP, about the release of a “fundamentally dangerous” individual.
Contacted by AFP, a spokesperson for the penitentiary establishment confirmed the release “around 9:15 a.m.” of Christian Brückner, 48 years old.
At that time, a black vehicle, driven by the suspect’s lawyer, left the prison flanked by two police vehicles, noted an AFP journalist on site.
His release comes at the end of his sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in 2005 in Portugal.
The disappearance in the same region of Madeleine McCann, known as “Maddie”, has never been elucidated despite an international campaign and extraordinary media mobilization.
False leads and twists and turns also contributed to the worldwide impact of this criminal enigma.
According to the prosecutor, the expert psychiatrist who recently examined Christian Brückner, a man with a long criminal record for violent sexual crimes, concluded that “new sexual assaults are to be expected”.
“He did not follow any therapy (…) in prison, and therefore we must assume that he will reoffend,” said Mr. Wolters in an interview given to AFP in September.
As a result, the public prosecutor’s office requested that Mr. Brückner be subject to surveillance measures, such as an electronic bracelet or an obligation to provide his address. The court did not immediately communicate its decision on this subject.
Mr. Brückner has always denied having any link with the Maddie affair, while the German prosecutor’s office has never detailed the contents of his file in the name of confidentiality of the investigation.
Same region
According to the German magazine “Spiegel”, his first conviction for sexual offenses against children dates back to his adolescence.
Three-year-old Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007 from holiday accommodation in the Algarve, Portugal, while her parents were dining at a nearby restaurant.
In 2020, German investigators suddenly named Mr. Brückner as their main suspect, claiming to have concrete evidence. But these elements proved insufficient for an indictment.
The rape for which Mr. Brückner was convicted had been committed in the same region where the little girl had disappeared.
At the time of the events, the accused lived on the Portuguese coast of the Algarve, near the McCanns’ vacation spot, and a cell phone in his name was located near their accommodation on the evening of the disappearance.
He was also acquitted at the end of 2024 of a series of sexual crimes against children committed in this same area between 2000 and 2017. The judges considered that there was insufficient evidence to convict him, despite his profile as a “sadistic sexual attacker”.
Repercussion
In this last case, the prosecution appealed and hopes for a new trial but the decision will not come before 2026. From then on, his release was inevitable.
“We just hope that when he’s needed, we can find him,” Mr. Wolters said, “but in and of itself you can’t stop a free person from traveling from one country to another.”
The prosecutor assured that his team was continuing its efforts in the case.
The result of a search in June in Portugal, in particular, “has not yet been used,” he emphasizes.
For his part, Christian Brückner’s lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, recently told public broadcaster NDR that the prosecutor’s comments “would have repercussions on his future life.”
“It will be very difficult for him to find a job, housing, and in general to find a place in society,” he said.
According to him, “we don’t want to have any type of contact with a suspected child killer.”
