Prosecutors have admitted Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner will not face any charges for the foreseeable future. Detectives are convinced the paedophile and convicted rapist snatched and killed the British youngster in 2007.
Madeleine was just three years old when she vanished from her parents’ holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Drifter Brueckner, 48, was living in a ramshackled farmhouse nearby and regularly broke into villas in the resort. He was dramatically named as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance by German prosecutors in 2020.
Brueckner is currently nearing the end of a seven-year jail term for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz. He was cleared in October last year of a string of unrelated sex charges that police claimed he carried out in Portugal.
Prosecutors are appealing the verdicts – but German legal observers believe they are unlikely to succeed. The only way to stop him being released from prison in September is charging him in the Madeleine case.
Police in three countries are in a race against the clock to find evidence against Brueckner. But in a devastating blow to Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, prosecutors warned charges are not imminent.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Sky News: “There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case. As things stand, the accused’s imprisonment will end in early September.”
A leading psychiatrist warned in Brueckner’s trial that he remains “in the top league of dangerousness” and will likely reoffend.
Detectives appear no closer to proving he abducted and killed Madeleine – despite claiming they have proof she is dead.
Philipp Marquort, one of Brueckner’s defence lawyers, welcomed the prosecutor’s pessimism about bringing charges. He said: “This confirms the suspicions we have repeatedly expressed, namely that there is no reliable evidence against our client.”
Mr Wolters said he remains hopeful of a successful appeal against Brueckner’s recent not guilty verdicts. If judges rule he should face a retrial, prosecutors would be able to keep him in custody beyond his scheduled release date.
He said: “We hope that the Federal Court of Justice will decide before the end of the accused’s imprisonment. If the Federal Court follows our legal opinion, we could apply for a new arrest warrant for the accused’s offences. Then the accused would then remain in custody beyond September 2025.”
Kate and Gerry, of Rothley, Leics, believe their daughter is alive and say they will never give up hope of being reunited with her.
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