Brueckner, 47, is the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine
But he was today cleared on five separate sex crimes charges in high-profile trial
He is now set to be released from prison in September next year – or even earlier 

German prosecutors say they have evidence on the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann – but admitted the clock is ticking to bring charges after he was found not guilty on five different counts of sex crimes today.

Christian Brueckner, 47, was sensationally named as the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine in June 2020 by German police but no charges relating to the case have been brought.

He was however accused of three rapes and two child sex abuse cases between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal, close to the Algarve resort of Praia da Luz from where Madeleine vanished while on holiday with parents Kate and Gerry McCann.

Prosecutors had called for a 15-year sentence in the long-running case, but Judge Ute Engemann this morning acquitted Brueckner of all the charges.

Speaking to MailOnline, prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters – who announced Brueckner as the chief suspect in the Madeleine case – said: ‘We believe that the ruling is wrong, so we will appeal to the German Supreme Court,’ adding that the ‘earliest we can expect any ruling (on the appeal) is next summer’.

Brueckner is still serving a sentence for a previous rape conviction but is set to be released in September next year, at which point prosecutors fear he could flee his native Germany.

Mr Wolters said: ‘If no decision is made then, we will need to see how much evidence we have in the Maddie case and then issue an arrest warrant to keep him in custody.

‘We are still adamant that Christian Brueckner is our only main suspect. But yes, the clock is ticking for us, we need to move fast because if he is free and he leaves the country and goes somewhere with no extradition then there is nothing we can do.’

When pressed by MailOnline why prosecutors were so convinced of Brueckner’s involvement in the Madeleine case, he said: ‘Because we have evidence… it’s not forensic evidence but I cannot go into the details – nobody knows it.

‘We are convinced that Madeleine is dead and that Christian Brueckner is responsible. He went to the hotel, took her and killed her but we have no body.’

But a member of Brueckner’s legal team standing nearby smirked and muttered: ‘Yeah, Busching and Seyferth’ – referencing two witnesses whose shaky evidence was dismissed in the not-guilty verdict today.

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Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner arrives in court in Braunschweig, Germany today

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Madeleine McCann (pictured) went missing on May 3, 2007 at the age of just three. She has never been found. German criminal Christian Brueckner has been named by German prosecutors as their chief suspect in her disappearance

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Brueckner is currently serving a rape sentence that runs until September 2025, according to Wolters, though Fuelscher has said the defendant could be free as soon as the spring

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Christian B (L), defendant and prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of missing British toddler Madeleine McCann, stands next to his lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher prior to the verdict in his trial on five unrelated sex crimes

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Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters insists investigators have evidence suggesting Brueckner abducted and killed Madeleine McCann

Brueckner, a tall man with blond hair, blue eyes and sporting the same grey coat he has worn throughout the hearings, showed no visible reaction to the not-guitly verdict as it was read out this morning.

The ruling could have devastating consequences for German prosecutors who want to pin Madeleine’s disappearance on him but fear he could attempt to leave the country in a bid to avoid further prosecution.

Brueckner is currently serving a sentence for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005.

That jail term runs until September 2025, according to Wolters, though his lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher has said the defendant could be free as soon as the spring.

Cops fear they may not be able to charge Brueckner in connection to Madeleine’s disappearance before he once again disappears off the grid upon his release.

Brueckner previously fled from Germany to Portugal after his first sexual abuse conviction in 1994, when he was just 17. After being slapped with a two-year youth sentence for molesting a six-year-old girl in a park, he fled for five years before being arrested and sent back to his native home in 1999.

Prosecutors could apply for Brueckner to be held in ‘preventative custody’, giving them time to gather more proof in the Madeleine case, but there is no promise such a request would be granted.

Upon delivering the ruling this morning, Judge Engemann made a lengthy statement explaining why Brueckner was acquitted and slammed Wolters for naming him in relation to the Madeline McCann saga.

‘We as judges have sworn an oath, and it is to serve the truth only. We take this very seriously but we cannot wrap people in cotton wool.

‘This oath means that we don’t have to cater to the views of the media, the defence and the prosecution, or the table of regulars-in-a-pub.’

She went on: ‘Everyone had heard about (Brueckner) in the Maddie McCann case and they all knew that Brueckner since 2020 was always named by the public prosecution office.

‘When in the media, a person is here described as a sex monster and a pervert, then it influences the witness. When massive third-party suggestions are made in this way, then the testimonies in court are almost worthless for the legal chamber.’

Brueckner declined to speak when asked if he had anything to say after closing speeches yesterday, but he has protested his innocence in a series of extraordinary letters to MailOnline.

‘The decision is wrong’: Attorney criticises Brueckner acquittal

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Christian Brueckner sits in the courtroom at Braunschweig District Court this morning moments before he was found not guilty on all sex crimes charges

Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner leaves the court

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Judge Ute Engemann this morning acquitted Brueckner of all the charges

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The charges of which Brueckner was acquitted today came about as a result of investigations into the ‘Maddie’ case, according to prosecutors

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Three-year-old Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in Portugal’s Algarve region in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar.

Despite a huge international manhunt and global media attention, no trace of her has been found, but investigations are continuing in the ‘Maddie’ case, prosecutor Wolters has declared.

‘At present, I am unable to say when we will be able to conclude these investigations and with what result,’ he said.

The charges of which Brueckner was acquitted today came about as a result of investigations into the ‘Maddie’ case, according to prosecutors.

In one of the cases, prosecutors had accused Brueckner of entering the holiday apartment of a woman aged between 70 and 80, tying her up and beating and sexually assaulting her.

In another case, he had been accused of entering a young Irish woman’s apartment via her balcony while she was sleeping, threatening her with a knife and raping her several times.

He had also been accused of exposing himself in front of a 10-year-old German girl on a beach and to an 11-year-old Portuguese girl at a playground.

But the defence raised serious doubts about the cases against Brueckner, which were based on testimonies but not forensic evidence.

In his closing remarks at the courthouse in Braunschweig yesterday, Brueckner’s main lawyer Fuelscher hinted that the convicted rapist and paedophile was only on trial because of his link with Madeleine’s internationally recognised case.