Christian Brueckner, the German man prosecutors have identified as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British child Madeleine McCann, is expected to be released from Sehnde Prison on Sept. 17 after serving a sentence for a 2019 rape conviction, media reports and sources close to the case say. The impending release has prompted renewed legal moves by prosecutors, appeals from victims and their supporters for preventative detention and heightened local policing around the prison.
Brueckner, 48, was convicted in 2019 of raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2005. German authorities have since described him as the only suspect in the long-running investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, a case that remains formally open in Portugal and unresolved in Britain. Prosecutors in Lower Saxony have applied to the regional court in Hildesheim for measures to place Brueckner under strict supervision on release, seeking the removal of his passport and electronic monitoring, according to statements and court filings referenced by media outlets.
Authorities in the public prosecutor’s office, headed by Chief Public Prosecutor Hans-Christian Wolters, have said the investigation into Madeleine McCann continues. Wolters has told media he believes Brueckner remains "fundamentally dangerous" and that investigators need additional, new evidence to press further charges in the disappearance. German investigators carried out a search in Portugal in June 2025, Wolters said, and indicated there were still clues to pursue.
Campaigners and some victims have mounted public objections to the scheduled release. An online petition organised by residents near the prison called for Brueckner to be kept behind bars. Hazel Behan, who has accused Brueckner of attacking her in Portugal in 2004 but was acquitted in court last year because of insufficient forensic evidence, said the announcement of his release had revived long-standing fear and anxiety for her and other alleged victims. Behan said she is pursuing legal action against Portuguese authorities at the European Court of Human Rights over their handling of her case.
Legal and procedural developments helped bring forward Brueckner’s release date, according to media reporting. Under German law, an outstanding court fine had delayed his eligibility for release until January 2026. A payment of that fine by a private donor, identified in press reports as Rebecca Koop, removed that impediment and allowed for an earlier release date. Koop has told one outlet she paid because she believed Brueckner’s rights had been violated and hoped the payment would accelerate further criminal proceedings; prosecutors have expressed concern that the payment shortened the period he had to serve.
The legal status that would allow indefinite detention for those judged to remain dangerous — Sicherungsverwahrung, or preventative detention — was not applied in Brueckner’s case after he was acquitted of several other sexual-offence charges in a trial last year. A court-appointed forensic expert, Dr. Christian Riedmann, testified during that trial that Brueckner showed psychopathic tendencies and was "highly likely" to reoffend, placing him, in the expert’s view, among the most dangerous offenders. Because Brueckner was acquitted of the additional charges, prosecutors said they could not use the evidence presented in that trial to secure preventative detention.
Prosecutors also face legal constraints on evidence. German officials have said some material gathered earlier by investigators that convinced them Madeleine McCann is no longer alive was used in prior prosecutions and cannot automatically be reused to pursue a murder charge; Wolters said investigators may need a "small" new piece of evidence to advance a homicide prosecution.
Brueckner was extradited from Italy to Germany in September 2018. Media reports and statements from his legal team have raised questions about whether European extradition rules could allow him to leave Germany shortly after release. His lawyers have argued that, because of the terms of his extradition, he may have the right to depart Germany within 45 days after release. Brueckner’s lead lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, has said his client intends to remain in Germany and has requested police protection for him upon release. Another lawyer, Philipp Marquardt, said in media interviews that no safe house had been arranged and that Brueckner would need time to find accommodation; Marquardt said the defence had sought a day out to look for housing but that prison authorities denied the request.
Brueckner faces two minor outstanding charges — one for insulting a female prison staff member and another over incorrect licence plates — that will require him to appear at court in Oldenburg next month, his lawyers say. Defence comments in past interviews have raised the possibility of flight; Marquardt previously said he would advise a client in Brueckner’s position to leave Europe, although he has also said that Brueckner wishes to live a "reasonably normal life."
Under German practice, released prisoners are normally eligible for a transitional payment — reported by his lawyers as about €1,000 — and may later claim unemployment benefit. German law permits certain rehabilitated offenders to seek erasure of convictions from criminal records after set periods, although some professions remain off-limits to people with sexual-offence convictions.
Investigations into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who was three when she went missing from a family holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007, remain under scrutiny. German prosecutors said in 2023 they had sufficient evidence to assert the child was dead and to accuse a specific individual, and subsequent searches and property examinations by German police have yielded material that investigators said linked Brueckner to other offences and merited further inquiry. Portuguese authorities continue to list Madeleine as a missing person.
The McCann family, who live in Rothley, Leicestershire, have remained publicly active in pushing for answers but have sought to maintain privacy as legal actions proceed in other jurisdictions. The family is due in court next month in connection with separate allegations of harassment against two women, proceedings that the family has said will be defended in court. Family members have previously said they believed Brueckner to be in the right place while imprisoned.
Local authorities in Lower Saxony increased police patrols around Sehnde Prison in recent days to deter unrest, officials and media reported. The outcome of the Hildesheim court’s application for post-release supervision, whether Brueckner’s passport will be seized, whether electronic monitoring will be imposed and whether any additional evidence can be developed in the coming weeks are likely to shape next steps for prosecutors and the public.
Prosecutors have reiterated that the investigation into Madeleine McCann is ongoing and that further searches and inquiries may be necessary. Any decisions about charges or detention must meet German and European legal standards and, where applicable, respect rules on evidence that were applied in earlier proceedings. Campaigners and alleged victims say those constraints will not lessen their concern for public safety when Brueckner leaves custody next week.