Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could walk free from prison as there is ‘no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case’, German prosecutor says
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is likely to walk free from prison as there is ‘no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie Case’, a German prosecutor has revealed.
Convicted paedophile and rapist Brueckner, 47, is expected to be freed from an unrelated jail sentence as police in three countries search for more concrete evidence against him in the McCann Case.
But their efforts may not pay off, prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Sky News.
He said: ‘There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case.
‘As things stand, the accused Christian B’s imprisonment will end in early September.’
Madeleine was just three when she went missing from the Portuguese villa she and her family were staying at in May 2007.
Brueckner was identified as the prime suspect for Madeleine McCann ‘abduction and murder’ in June 2020.
Brueckner has denied any involvement in her disappearance, but German officials insist ‘he is the man’ though charges were never brought.
Christian Brueckner (pictured) is likely to walk free from prison as there is ‘no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie Case’
Madeleine (pictured) was just three when she went missing from the Portuguese villa she and her family were staying at in May 2007
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters (pictured) said: ‘There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case’
Philipp Marquort, one of Brueckner’s defence lawyers, welcomed the prosecutor’s statement.
He told the broadcaster: ‘This confirms the suspicions that we have repeatedly expressed, namely that there is no reliable evidence against our client.
‘We regret that we have not yet been granted access to the investigation files. We have not yet been able to effectively counter the public prejudice arising from statements made by the prosecutor’s office.’
The convicted rapist is currently nearing the end of this jail sentence for raping an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz, the Portuguese resort where Madeleine disappeared.
In October, he was acquitted from three rapes and two child sex abuse cases following a non-jury trial in Germany.
In his closing remarks at the courthouse in Braunschweig at the time, Brueckner’s main lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher hinted that convicted rapist and paedophile Brueckner was only on trial because of his link with Madeleine’s internationally recognised case.
Upon delivering the ruling, Judge Engemann made a lengthy statement explaining why Brueckner was acquitted and slammed German prosecutors for naming him in relation to the Madeline McCann saga.
Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner arrives in court in Braunschweig, Germany On October 8 2024
Christian Brueckner sits in the courtroom at Braunschweig District Court on October 8 2024 moments before he was found not guilty on all sex crimes charges
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
‘We as judges have sworn an oath, and it is to serve the truth only. We take this very seriously but we cannot wrap people in cotton wool.
‘This oath means that we don’t have to cater to the views of the media, the defence and the prosecution, or the table of regulars-in-a-pub.’
She went on: ‘Everyone had heard about (Brueckner) in the Maddie McCann case and they all knew that Brueckner since 2020 was always named by the public prosecution office.
‘When in the media, a person is here described as a sex monster and a pervert, then it influences the witness. When massive third-party suggestions are made in this way, then the testimonies in court are almost worthless for the legal chamber.’
