German prosecutor says currently ‘no prospect’ of charges against Madeleine McCann suspect By Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) – The German prosecutor investigating the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann said there was no prospect of charging the main suspect in the current case, Sky News reported on Friday.

Christian Brueckner was officially identified in 2020 as a suspect in the case of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from her bedroom during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007. He denies any involvement.

Brückner, a convicted child abuser and drug dealer, is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for raping a woman in Portugal’s Algarve region, where McCann disappeared, until September 2025.

In October, a German court acquitted Brückner of unrelated charges of child rape and sexual abuse, raising the prospect of his release from prison this year.

“There is currently no prospect of an indictment in Maddy’s case,” German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters said in an interview published by Sky News on Friday. He added that as things stand, Brueckner will be released in early September.

McCann, then 3, disappeared from her bedroom in the resort town of Praia da Luz while her parents dined nearby with friends.Her fate remains a mystery and no body has ever been found.

German police announced in June 2020 that McCann was presumed dead and that Brückner, in his 40s, was likely responsible.

The prosecutor said he may apply for a new arrest warrant to keep Bruckner in custody after September.One of Bruckner’s lawyers, quoted by Sky News, said the defense team would oppose such an appeal.