Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner declared homeless as lawyer cites concerns over convictions

Christian Brueckner, the German man long identified as the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, has been declared homeless after his lawyer acknowledged public concerns over his child sex and rape convictions. Brueckner was released from Sehnde prison earlier this week after serving six years of a seven-year sentence for rape, and authorities say he remains at risk of reoffending. His lawyer, Friedrich Fulscher, said Brueckner refused to take part in rehabilitation programmes because he believes he was unjustly convicted of the 2005 attack on a 72-year-old American pensioner in Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve coast. The assault occurred about two years before Madeleine's disappearance from the same resort, a case that remains unsolved.

In a recent interview, Fulscher said he understood why people fear Brueckner, noting that fear can be rational given the past offenses, but that such concern is not an unavoidable predictor of future acts. He has previously said that Brueckner was not the type of person to be left in charge of children, and that society would have to live with his sentence being served. Fulscher also said he had spoken with his client about the Madeleine case but had seen no evidence linking him to it.

In 2020 German authorities named Brueckner their prime suspect in Madeleine's abduction and presumed murder. Since his release, prosecutors have stressed that the evidential case remains weak enough not to charge him, while acknowledging he remains a dangerous individual. Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters indicated in statements that Brueckner is not only their number one suspect but also their only suspect, and that the evidence is not yet strong enough to bring charges. A periodic case review in July warned that women could be at risk from him, a finding that prompted ongoing monitoring.

At his release, Brueckner was ordered to wear an ankle monitor for five years, report monthly to a probation office, and surrender his passport. He is allowed to carry an identity card that permits travel within Europe. Minutes after leaving Sehnde prison with his lawyer, Brueckner was photographed dining at a McDonald’s near a motorway en route to Bremen, the first of several low-key public sightings reported by outlets tracking his movements.

Late Friday, a Kiel-based local paper reported that Brueckner was staying in a hostel in Neumunster, south of Kiel, in an area described as largely home to migrants who do not follow German media closely. A city council spokesman confirmed Brueckner had been accommodated as part of an emergency response program, but refused to disclose the exact location. The paper said the arrangement raised concerns about potential protests or unrest if authorities publicly disclosed his whereabouts. Subsequent reporting indicated he has been watched by the German BKA, and accounts described his travel by train and shopping trips in Lidl without being recognized by other passengers.

Brueckner's release marks a setback for German and British authorities, who have sought to assemble sufficient evidence to charge him since he was named in 2020. Investigators note that he was known to be working in Praia da Luz at the time Madeleine disappeared, and mobile phone data place him near the resort the night she vanished. Witness accounts have named him, though no charges have been filed. In letters to the Daily Mail, Brueckner has maintained he had nothing to do with Madeleine's disappearance and described himself as a scapegoat. The case remains open, with ongoing efforts to determine whether new evidence could support a prosecution.

Wolters cautioned that the investigation into the Madeleine case continues, but he emphasized that Brueckner has not been charged and that authorities are evaluating whether additional leads could change that status. Brueckner's next appearance is scheduled for next month in relation to behavior issues at Oldenburg prison, where he served the initial phase of his sentence.