Madeleine McCann suspect released from prison in Germany

Christian Brueckner had been serving a seven-year sentence for rape (Picture: Moritz Frankenberg/Pool/AFP)

The top suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has walked free from prison after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime.

Christian Brueckner has been linked by police to the case of the missing British toddler since 2020.

At the time, the German paedophile was still in prison for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same part of Portugal where the McCann family were on holiday in 2007.

German newspaper Der Spiegel said Brueckner has been electronically tagged, must declare a place of residence, and cannot leave without permission.

In addition to his conviction for the rape of the woman in the Algarve, he also has convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking.

State prosecutors in Germany have said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting Brueckner was involved in Maddie’s disappearance, including three witnesses who said he had confessed to them.

He lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, with a period spent working as a pool maintenance assistant at the Praia da Luz resort where the McCanns were staying when their daughter vanished.

But extensive searches for more direct evidence – including in June this year – have ended without success.

On Monday, the Metropolitan Police revealed officers had requested to interview the 49-year-old suspect – but he had refused to cooperate.

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