|
Madeleine McCann's prime suspect Christian Brueckner is said to be fighting for an early release from prison and for £200,000 in damages.
The pedophile was cleared this week of his 2019 conviction for raping an American woman in Algarve, Portugal.
Madeleine's prosecutors said they had evidence on the convicted rapist – but admitted time was running out to bring charges after he was found not guilty of five separate sex crimes charges on Tuesday.
Brueckner is currently scheduled to be released in September 2025, but the German plans to appeal the conviction that keeps him behind bars.
A legal source reportedly told the Sun that although an appeal would take time, there was a possibility Brueckner could be released early.
Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner arrives in court in Braunschweig, Germany, on Tuesday as he was cleared of five counts of rape
Madeleine's prosecutors say they have evidence on Brueckner, but admit that time is running out to bring charges against the German
Kate and Gerry McCann were named as suspects in their daughter's disappearance in September 2007 – four months after her disappearance
“Brueckner’s lawyer said in court that he did not believe the 2019 conviction was safe and after a witness was discredited,” the source said.
They added that an early end to his sentence would give Brueckner ammunition to seek compensation.
Brueckner was accused of three rapes and two cases of child sexual abuse between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal, near the resort where Madeleine disappeared.
He has denied any involvement in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine in Praia da Luz in 2007, and has not yet been charged in relation to the incident, despite being identified as the main suspect in 2020.
In one of the rape cases, Brueckner entered the holiday apartment of a woman aged between 70 and 80, tied her up and beat her and sexually assaulted her.
He was also accused of entering a young Irish woman's apartment through the balcony while she was sleeping, threatening her with a knife and raping her several times.
In another case, he was accused of having exposed himself to a 10-year-old German girl on a beach and an 11-year-old Portuguese girl in a children's playground.
But Brueckner's legal team raised concerns that the cases against him were based on testimony rather than forensic evidence.
His main lawyer, Friedrich Fuelscher, suggested that the German was only on trial because of his links to the Madeleine case, during his closing remarks at the Braunschweig court on Tuesday.
Wrongfully imprisoned prisoners in Germany can receive up to £63 per day in prison.
It turns out that Brueckner's lawyers also viciously criticized Madeleine's parents, when a member of her defense team suggested that the outcome of the trial would be “very interesting” for those who believe the child's parents were involved in her kidnapping.
Brueckner was charged with three counts of rape and two counts of child sexual abuse allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
A lawyer representing Brueckner said Monday that the outcome of the trial would be “very interesting” for those who believe the child's parents were involved in her abduction. In the photo: The McCanns holding a poster in 2012
Madeleine McCann (photo) disappeared on May 3, 2007 in a Portuguese resort near Praia da Luz at just three years old.
Philipp Marquardt said: 'I think in the UK there are still a lot of people who think the parents were involved in the Maddie case, so from that point of view I think today's verdict will be very interesting for them.'
The focus on Madeleine's parents came after forensic tests revealed traces of the three-year-old's blood in a car they rented 25 days after their daughter's disappearance.
Mother Kate McCann told detectives there was “no way” Madeleine’s blood could have been found inside the car and continued to protest her innocence.
The parents were named as suspects in 2007 – four months after Madeleine disappeared. His suspect status was removed in 2008.
