The man suspected of kidnapping Madeleine McCann will not face any charges in the foreseeable future, with the German man set to be freed from an unrelated jail sentence in just months.
Christian Brueckner, 47, was publicly identified by German authorities in June 2020 as the prime suspect in Maddie’s case, though no formal charges have been brought against him.
He had been accused of three rapes and two cases of child sexual abuse between 2000 and 2017, all of which occurred in Portugal, near the Praia da Luz resort where Madeleine went missing on a family vacation.
His lawyer, Friedrich Fuelscher, suggested in his closing remarks that he should be cleared due to a lack of evidence and the convicted rapist was only on trial because of his connection with McCann’s internationally recognised case.
Madeleine McCann and Christian BruecknerPAThe 47-year-old has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told Sky News: “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.”
Madeleine, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was on holiday with her family at the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz, Portugal when she went missing on May 3, 2007.
Defendant Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the long-unsolved case of Madeleine McCann’s disappearanceGETTYPhilipp Marquort, one of the 47-year-old’s defence lawyers, welcomed the prosecutor’s verdict
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.”
More to follow…
The 47-year-old has denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance
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