The main suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann is due to be released on Wednesday from a German prison after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated sex crime.
Christian Brueckner, 49, was identified by German prosecutors in 2020 as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal’s Algarve while her parents dined nearby.
At the time, Brueckner was already imprisoned for raping a 72-year-old woman in the same region.
According to Der Spiegel, Brueckner’s passport has been cancelled and he will be subject to electronic monitoring. He must declare a fixed residence and is barred from leaving without permission, conditions aimed at keeping him under close supervision.
“This is an attempt by prosecutors to keep him in a kind of investigative detention where they have access to him at all times,” his lawyer Philipp Marquort told the publication.
Brueckner, who has previous convictions for child abuse and drug trafficking, has denied involvement in the McCann case. Police in Britain, Germany and Portugal continue to list him as the main suspect, though they have yet to produce conclusive evidence.
In June, Portuguese and German police conducted a four-day search in the Algarve for new leads.
British detectives said this week that Brueckner declined their request for an interview but vowed to pursue all viable lines of enquiry.
McCann, who was three at the time of her disappearance, would now be 22. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, continue to campaign for answers, issuing an annual statement marking the anniversary of their daughter’s disappearance.
“We love her dearly and miss her beyond words,” they wrote on their website this year.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
