Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner 'may vanish abroad' and 'has plan'

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could still vanish abroad when he is released from prison, it has emerged.

The convicted paedophile, 49, will be freed from Sehnde prison on Wednesday after completing a seven-year sentence for rape. He is set to be subjected to release conditions including wearing a GPS ankle tag to monitor his whereabouts.

But Brueckner’s lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher claims the tag is useless if his client decides he wants to leave Germany. He said: “This ankle cuff is virtually ineffective once he crosses the German border.” Mr Fuelscher claimed “no-one will see him” being released and said the pervert “has a plan” after leaving jail.

Der Spiegel reported that Brueckner will be given a German identity card and must have a permanent address in Germany. He will have to hand over his passport. He will also have to report regularly to the probation service - possibly once a week.

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But even without a passport he could easily vanish to another EU country. Prosecutors are still searching for evidence that will allow them to charge Brueckner over Madeleine’s disappearance. But if he is able to slip out of Germany and go into hiding, they would face a mammoth task to arrest him.

Mr Fuelscher continued to protest his client’s innocence on Tuesday. He said Brueckner has mixed feelings of being freed. The lawyer told RTL: “I can imagine that this is associated with fears, because you just don’t know what’s in store for you.”

Media from the UK, Germany and Portugal have been camped outside Sehnde prison for days awaiting his release. German prosecutors named Brueckner as their prime suspect in the Madeleine case in June 2020.

But despite a lengthy police investigation, they appear to be no closer to charging him. He was cleared last October of a string of sex crimes he was accused of carrying out in Portugal.

Prosecutors are still awaiting the outcome of an appeal against those verdicts lodged in Germany’s Federal Court of Justice. Brueckner denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance in May 2007.

German search teams spent three days hunting for evidence in Portugal in July. Brueckner was living in a ramshackle farmhouse on the edge of Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished.

Her parents Kate and Gerry were dining with friends in a tapas restaurant at the time. They continue to pray she is alive.