Madeleine McCann cops launch immediate APPEAL over Christian Brueckner case as exact date he will walk free revealed

PROSECUTORS are launching an immediate appeal against Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner’s not guilty verdict – claiming judges were BIASED.

Investigators want Germany’s top court to send the entire case for a retrial, claiming judges missed crucial points – and were biased from the start.

It came as following the verdict the exact date Brueckner is now due to be released was revealed as September 17, 2025.

The paedophile was cleared today over two counts of rape and two counts of indecent exposure – unrelated to the Maddie case.

But the not guilty decision represents a possible blow to the McCann case.

Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told The Sun: “We will make an appeal to the highest court in Germany, the supreme court. They have the power to order a retrial with new judges.

“We believe we have enough evidence Christian B is guilty and we believe the court will see the judges here have misinterpreted the evidence.”

Mr Wolters added: “We believe one of the judges was not open to the possibility of Brueckner being guilty – and they had made their minds up before the case even started.

“As soon as we had an indication of this we applied for that judge to be removed, but the request was declined.

“We think there is a case to show bias among the judges and we believe we can show that.

“We think we can win an appeal – we hope so.”

Worryingly, the trial has also saw the credibility of key witnesses from the McCann case shot down in court by Brueckner’s lawyers, in a further blow.

However, Maddie cops have vowed the verdict will not impact their investigation into the snatched three-year-old.

Prosecutor Wolters warned the clock was now ticking on the McCann case.

He said: “We can’t hold a trial if he is not here.

“The only way to stop him leaving the country or going to a non-extradition country is to get an arrest warrant.

“We have less than one year now on the Maddie case – the clock is ticking.”

Brueckner has never been charged in connection with the Maddie case.

Judge Ute Engemann handed down the verdict at Braunschweig Regional Court.

The judge told the court key witness Helge B – who linked Brueckner to Maddie – had been “inconsistent” with his accounts in court.

She said they had not matched the statements he had given police.

Helge had told the court he was convinced that his former drifter pal snatched the British tot.

He committed crimes with the convicted rapist while the two lived in Portugal in the early 2000s.

And then he came forward in 2020 to claim Brueckner had taken Madeleine.

Helge claimed he had found horrific videos in Brueckner’s lair showing him raping an elderly woman and a girl as young as 13.

At the time, he did not report his findings to cops.

The judge also said Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan – one of Brueckner’s alleged victims – had contradicted herself in court with her account of how the suspect attacked her.

Behan came forward after she recognised him in photos after he was linked to Maddie’s disappearance.

The judge added: “The media had reported already about Madeleine McCann and this influenced the witnesses.

“In that case it was not possible to convict the defendant for objective reasons.”

She said the witnesses had not been persuasive and had failed to remember all details.

A third count of rape had already been discontinued earlier in the trial.

Prosecutors have been preparing an appeal since July when a judge lifted the arrest warrant for Brueckner on the case – citing growing belief he may not be guilty.

Investigators are said to be furious with the way the court has approached the case and will ask Germany’s supreme court to send it for a retrial.

Without a new warrant – or Maddie or further charges being brought against him – he will be walking free next September.