WHEN Christian Brueckner is freed – as soon as next week – he will be one of the most ‘wanted’ men in the world – and unbelievably one of the most protected.
Having worked closely on the Madeleine McCann case for the last 12 months, I know more than most how dangerous Brueckner is – but I can now reveal how his cushy prison release could see the prime suspect in the Maddie disappearance slip through prosecutors’ fingers for good.
After spending seven years behind bars in Germany for the horrific rape of an elderly woman, dangerous fiend Brueckner is due for release in a matter of weeks.
Yet unbelievably, German laws mean the convicted rapist paedophile could be offered a raft of concessions on his release that would never be considered acceptable here in the UK.
I was part of The Sun’s recent bombshell documentary, Madeleine McCann: Inside the Secret Evidence , which lifted the lid on a dossier of circumstantial evidence found at Brueckner’s abandoned lair in Portugal .
After months of trailing Brueckner, I could imagine nothing more terrifying than seeing him released to prowl among the public.
Now I can reveal how the sex monster suspected of snatching and killing little Maddie will be placed back into society – and the freedoms he’ll have upon his release are enough to make you sick.
Laughably, despite an initial travel ban, he’ll later be allowed to jet around Europe as he pleases – as long as he calls a probation officer once a week to check in, he is deemed “under control”.
He could even be SMUGGLED out of prison to a safe house at a secret location by German federal agents, who will bear legal responsibility for his safety.
Such is the jumpiness from officials, afraid of facing accusations of failing to protect him from vigilante attacks, that rumours of an early release are rife in German justice circles.
Right now, prosecutors are rushing to try and have special conditions put on his release, terrified he could strike again when he is free – or worse, that they might lose track of him.
With convictions for abusing a girl of five and brutally raping an American pensioner in the same village where Madeleine disappeared in Praia De Luz, officials want him slapped with a curfew and an electronic tag so they can monitor him when he’s released.
A court psychiatrist labelled him a “psychopath” and one of the “most dangerous men in society”, meaning lawyers are also desperate to enforce a curfew and travel restrictions.
German politician Sebastian Fiedler – who oversees the justice system – told The Sun: “It should be a concern for all of us that Brueckner is being released.”
Brueckner has a history of fleeing a country when he has been suspected or even accused of a crime.
Back in 1994, he fled Germany for Portugal to avoid a two-year youth custody sentence after being convicted of the sexual abuse of a child, but returned in 1999 to serve the sentence.
Fearing Brueckner could slip through their fingers for good, Maddie cops are desperate to stop him from fleeing Germany on his release to a country with a non-extradition treaty, taking all remaining hopes of a conviction with him.
The system out there is mad – it feels like it is stacked in favour of rapists and paedophiles.
Source close to case
Prosecutors had hoped that charges would be brought before his release date – five years after he was first declared a formal suspect in 2020 – but a lack of evidence connecting him directly to the case means he will now walk free in weeks.
A source close to the case said: “Brueckner walking free is a nightmare for justice officials on so many levels.
“First, there is the embarrassment that they have failed to keep him behind bars.
“Then there is the fear he could strike again – a prospect experts are convinced of.
“Above all is the fear he might disappear before ever answering questions over cop suspicions he knows what happened to Madeleine McCann. They suspect he might be the only one who knows.”
Releasing a monster
While curfews, tags and restrictions could all be easily added in the UK as part of a convict’s license conditions on release from prison, there is no guarantee any of this will happen in Brueckner’s case.
The German legal system is stacked heavily in favour of individuals’ rights, meaning there is a good chance a court will throw out all applications to enforce conditions.
Unbelievably, one court date for an application to have him tagged and put under curfew has already been cancelled over security concerns for Brueckner – despite HIM posing the threat to the public.
The source added: “Perversely, officials are just as worried something might happen to Brueckner – and they could face claims from him that they failed to keep him safe.
“The system out there is mad – it feels like it is stacked in favour of rapists and paedophiles.”
Brueckner’s profile means he can be considered under threat from members of the public or even previous criminal associates.
For the last few months, prison staff have been keeping a close eye on the inmate, assessing the dangerous sex offender in his cell.
The 49-year-old drifter, originally from Wurzburg, Germany, voluntarily stays in Schutzhaft, or ‘protective custody,’ within the prison amid concern for vigilante attacks from others, making the task of pinpointing his ability to interact safely nearly impossible.
What is certain is that his lawyers will have been arguing their client is at risk – let’s face it, they whinged to a court he wasn’t being given enough cheese in prison , so there is no doubt they will argue he is a special case.
Perversely, officials are just as worried something might happen to Brueckner – and they could face claims from him that they failed to keep him safe.
Source close to case
Prison officials, probation services, and sometimes the police will be involved in evaluating the level of danger a prisoner may face.
In Brueckner’s case, his notoriety in Germany means the German FBI, the Bundeskriminalamt, also known as the BKA, will likely have been called in to the discussions, too.
German laws will insist he is protected as he is delivered out of Government custody.
The suspicion is that the BKA, as the investigating force, will be responsible for ensuring his safe release from prison.
In practice, this could amount to Brueckner being “smuggled” out of the prison JVA Sendhe, where he is currently housed.
During his trial last year, Brueckner was moved backwards and forwards from the courthouse in Braunschweig, in blacked-out BKA cars with police escorts in front and behind.
How has the Madeleine McCann case come to this?
For months, I have been reporting that the man suspected of kidnapping and killing Madeline McCann will walk free from prison on September 17.
At the back of my mind, I always felt someone somewhere would take responsibility and do something. Some official, or judge, or court would see sense and step in to prevent a man dubbed one of the most dangerous in society from being back out on the streets.
But here we are, formal, real preparations are being made for convicted paedophile and rapist Christian Brueckner to step out of JVA Sehnde prison, in Germany, as a free man.
In the UK, he would have a tag, a curfew, monitoring, and some kinds of conditions to act as a safety net to stop this monster reoffending or disappearing.
But in Germany, where individual liberty trumps public safety, Brueckner can drive to Spain and sit on a beach – and as long as he calls in once a week, he will be considered ‘on radar’. What a joke!
Makes Germany sound like a great place to be a violent offender, doesn’t it?
But the threat Brueckner poses to the public is only the tip of the iceberg. His walking free represents an enormous blow to hopes of a prosecution over the McCann case.
German police believe he is responsible and need more time to get their case ready for a German court.
But when he walks free, there will be little to stop him from leaving Germany and “disappearing”. He has a history of fleeing when accused or suspected of a crime. He knows what to do. Except this time, hopes for the McCann case could go with him.
Prosecutors are making a last-minute bid to put restrictions on Brueckner to help them monitor him.
But after seeing so many other hopes for progress fall flat – I can’t say I’m confident these will work.
Brueckner can thank the German justice system – it’s really come through for him in his hour of need.
The same system could be used to get the rapist clear of the prison – and could even see him transferred to a second vehicle to secure his release.
One legal source said it was possible Brueckner’s release date could be brought forward further still if the situation is deemed too volatile to ensure his release unharmed – a move that would ensure an outcry from panicked members of the public.
Strict rights to privacy in the country mean he could also be entitled to help avoid the media at the moment of his release.
Clothes and cash on release
On the day of his release, Brueckner will be handed all of his personal belongings, and after seven years behind bars, he will be entitled to new clothes that will likely have been organised for him by his lawyer.
He will then be handed up to £200 of German Government-funded ‘‘release money” – but no more, as he has refused to work in prison over safety fears, so he will have no additional earnings to add to the amount.
Once Brueckner is safely out of prison, he will be passed on to probation for monitoring, although with nowhere near the level of scrutiny we expect of serious offenders being released in the UK.
He can sit on a beach in Spain, and as long as he calls a probation officer once a week, he is deemed “under control”.
But for Irish holiday rep Hazel Behan, who claimed in court that Brueckner tortured and raped her at knifepoint in 2004, leaving her fearing he would cut off her head, the idea of him walking free makes her “skin crawl”.
Her claims were thrown out by a German court following an eight-month trial last year, but an appeal is pending.
She says: “It is just completely irresponsible to let this man out at all.
“To give him free rein to run around Europe is terrifying. How can they hope to police him? What about his victims?
“It means he can come to Ireland. Imagine how sick that makes me feel – to think this rapist can go wherever and do whatever he wants.
“This man walking free makes my skin crawl. If the rest of the world understood what he was capable of, they would feel the same.
“Someone needs to do something.”
Brueckner is expected to remain subject to mandatory reporting, so probation officers can keep tabs on him.
And it is almost certain that BKA officers will keep him under surveillance as they continue to investigate him over the McCann case.
Such is Brueckner’s profile; local police might even be called in to help monitor him, with rising concerns over strangers seeking out vigilante justice against him.
He will not be granted a safe house, witness protection known as ‘Zeugenschutz’ or a new identity, unless a deal is cut behind bars with prosecutors, which is impossible to imagine.
Timeline of Maddie's disappearance
May 3, 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016
Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany.
Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
February 16, 2016
Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop.
He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then.
May 3, 2017
Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
September 27, 2018
On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy.
He is extradited to Germany the following year.
December 16, 2019
Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed.
He was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
June 4, 2020
German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead .
German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner) .
June 23, 2023
In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024
Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024
Brueckner was acquitted of all claims .
Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
September 17, 2025
Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken.
Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year – or over the McCann case.
June 1, 2025
Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal.
It lasts for just three days.
Under the terms of his release, Brueckner will not be eligible to travel abroad immediately – meaning border alerts will be put in place to stop him from leaving the country.
But within a matter of weeks, these are expected to be lifted.
At that point, he will be at liberty to travel within Europe – but under the conditions of his release, he will be expected to contact a probation-style officer by phone, at least, every week to update them.
Brueckner, designated a psychopath by court psychiatrists and one of the “top most dangerous” people in society, will almost certainly be offered psychiatric services and counselling to help him adapt.
But he has already bragged, “There is nothing wrong” with me, and he has no need to go through any rehabilitation process.
What happens next will then be up to him.
