Fears for Madeleine McCann case as prosecutor admits Brueckner ‘WON’T be charged soon’ & top suspect will be set free
THE Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner will not be charged anytime soon and could walk free, the case’s chief prosecutor has admitted.
The paedophile, 47, remains the main suspect in the three-year-old’s 2007 abduction.
The German is currently in prison serving a sentence for the rape of an American woman in Portugal’s Algarve in 2005.
He is expected to be released in September as his seven-year sentence is due to end – while investigators in three countries are desperately working to find evidence against him.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Sky: “There is currently no prospect of an indictment in the Maddie case.
“As things stand, the accused Christian B’s imprisonment will end in early September.”
A court source clarified that prosecutors are mainly focused in appealing the rape and child abuse charges he was cleared of back in October.
They said: “Prosecutors aren’t afraid of charging over Maddie – but their priority is appealing against the charges he was cleared of last year.
“They believe a retrial is the best way to keep him behind bars.
“First the judge has to deliver the verdict in writing, then Wolters continues the appeal at the German next higher court and the highest German court, the BGH Federal Court.
“Both appeals he had started already but Wolters can only continue when the judge has delivered her verdict in writing. She has not done that yet, but has a time limit that is ending soon.”
While Philipp Marquort, one of Christian B’s defence lawyers welcomed the prosecutor’s comment.
He said: “This confirms the suspicions that we have repeatedly expressed, namely that there is no reliable evidence against our client.
“We regret that we have not yet been granted access to the investigation files.
“We have not yet been able to effectively counter the public prejudice arising from statements made by the prosecutor’s office.”
German cops were hoping to charge Brueckner with Madeleine’s kidnap and murder before he is freed, as the 2019 conviction for the American woman’s rape is the only thing that keeps him behind bars.
The exact date he will be released was revealed as September 17, 2025.
Under German law, if Brueckner is not charged or arrested in connection with Madeleine’s abduction before he is released from jail he will be free to go anywhere in the world.
The German was named prime suspect over the youngster’s disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 by police in 2020.
He has not been charged with it and he denies any involvement.
Madeleine McCann's disappearance
MADELEINE McCann vanished on May 3, 2007 - and cops believe Brueckner could have been behind her disappearance.
Almost 17 years on, no one has been charged in connection. These are the key dates
May 3, 2007 – Kate McCann finds Madeleine missing at 10pm
May 14, 2007 – Property developer Robert Murat is named an “arguido” or formal suspect
August 31, 2007 – The McCanns launch libel action against Tal e Qual – a newspaper that claimed the couple killed Madeleine
September 7, 2007 – Kate and Gerry McCann are made “arguidos”
September 9, 2007– Madeleine’s parents return to England with their two-year-old twins
October 2, 2007– Lead detective Goncalo Amaral is taken off the case after criticising British police in a newspaper interview
July 21, 2009 – Portuguese police lift the “arguido” status of both Robert Murat and the McCanns
May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Scotland Yard launches a review into the case
April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive
July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launched its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance
October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found
November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together
October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance
March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September
September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe going until March 2018
November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria
May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office
November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
November 2018 – UK police re-examine a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents
June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers
June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo Christian Brueckner
April 2022 – Brueckner formally made an “arguido”
May 2023 – Police search remote Algarve reservoir Brueckner called his “little paradise”