Christian Brueckner freed after rape sentence, still prime suspect in Madeleine McCann case

The man identified as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has walked free from prison in Germany, ending a seven-year sentence for the violent rape of an elderly woman. His release marks the first time Christian Brueckner has lived among the public since being officially named as a suspect in one of the world’s most infamous missing-child cases.

Brueckner, now 49, was driven out of Sehnde prison near Hannover on Wednesday morning. A convoy of police vans surrounded the car carrying him, underlining the high-profile and deeply sensitive nature of his release. German authorities confirmed he had completed his sentence and was no longer in custody.

The German national, also known in court documents as Christian B, was jailed for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal — the same resort town where Madeleine vanished two years later.

Brueckner already had a criminal history before that conviction. He has two previous convictions for sexual abuse of children, unrelated to the McCann case, which only deepens the public scrutiny now focused on him.

Despite being under investigation for years, Brueckner has never been charged in relation to Madeleine’s disappearance. German prosecutors first opened a case against him in June 2020, investigating allegations of kidnap and murder. He was formally declared a suspect in 2022, sixteen years after three-year-old Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.

Brueckner denies any involvement in her disappearance, yet German authorities continue to treat him as their central suspect. His freedom reignites painful questions for the McCann family, who have endured nearly two decades of uncertainty and global speculation over what happened to their daughter.

The release also places German investigators under renewed pressure. If Brueckner is not charged in connection with the McCann case, his return to civilian life will likely fuel public anger and mistrust. The timing is especially striking, given that the investigation into Madeleine’s fate has remained one of the most heavily scrutinised and internationally reported missing-person cases in modern history.

For Brueckner, this marks a dramatic change in circumstances. He spent years behind bars, his identity shielded only partially by court restrictions, but always in the public eye as speculation over his role in the McCann case intensified. Now he returns to life outside prison walls with no conviction related to the missing child, but a deeply tainted record of sexual violence and child abuse.

Sejal Karia of ITV News, reporting from Germany, described the release as significant: the first time Brueckner has been among the public since his name became synonymous with the McCann investigation.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains officially unsolved. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, have campaigned relentlessly for answers since their daughter vanished 18 years ago. Brueckner’s release may reignite debate over whether the truth will ever be fully uncovered.

For now, German authorities stress that investigations into Brueckner’s possible role in the case remain ongoing. But the sight of him leaving prison a free man — even after serving time for another horrific crime — will shock and disturb many who still hold out hope for justice in the McCann mystery.