Christian Brueckner could be RELEASED from prison after order keeping him behind bars is dramatically overturned – in huge blow for Madeleine McCann investigators

An order to keep Christian Brueckner, Madeleine McCann’s main suspect, behind bars has been dramatically lifted in a huge blow to investigators.

Convicted pedophile and rapist Brueckner, 47, was served with the court document last year as he was about to be released from prison, and it was used to keep him in custody while he stood trial for other sex crimes.

In June 2020, he was identified by German police as a prime suspect in the 2007 “kidnapping and murder” of Madeleine McCann, but he has not been charged with any crime in connection with the case since then.

He was due to be released from prison early last year after being convicted of raping an elderly American woman in Praia d’s Luz, Portugal, the same area where Madeleine disappeared when she was three years old.

The documents, described in Germany as an arrest warrant, were intended to keep him in jail so he could stand trial on three counts of rape and two counts of child sexual abuse, allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. His trial for those began in February.

Brueckner is the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann

During the trial in Braunschweig, near Hanover in Germany, several witnesses were heard, including two men who claim that Brueckner was involved in Madeleine’s disappearance and a Scotland Yard officer investigating the case.

Judge Ute Engemann’s decision following a request from Brueckner’s legal team was announced in a short press release from the court, which stated that “the Chamber has withdrawn the arrest warrant at the request of the defense.”

There has been no comment yet from prosecutors in the sex crimes cases and from Hans Christian Wolters, spokesman for the German McCann investigation, but they are said to be appealing.

Brueckner last appeared in court in Braunschweig, Germany, on Friday in a wheelchair after injuring his ankle. The request for an injunction was filed last month by his legal team.

Philipp Marquort, Brueckner’s lawyer, told MailOnline: ‘This is great news for us and the case is now 99% closed.

There was no immediate comment from prosecutors in the sex cases and from Hans Christian Wolters, spokesman for the German McCann investigation

During the trial in Braunschweig, near Hanover, Germany, several witnesses were heard, including two men who claim that Brueckner was involved in Madeleine’s disappearance.

He was due to be released from prison early last year after being convicted of raping an elderly American woman in Praia ds Luz, Portugal

‘You only have to look at the quality of the evidence presented so far to see that there is no case to answer this question.

‘His legal team is delighted with the news and I will call Herr Brueckner now to tell him. His lead lawyer (Friedrich) Fulscher is on holiday.

“That means the prison where he’s serving his sentence has to start preparing him for his release. Technically, that should be next spring or next summer, but it’s likely to happen later this year.”

The news was announced in a court press release and full details are expected to be announced during the next hearing on Friday.

In a text message to MailOnline, Mr Fulscher said: “I’m the best,” adding a sunglasses emoji.

It is still unclear what exactly will happen in this saga after today’s dramatic turn of events, but it is possible that Bruckner will be released soon.

And it is certainly expected that his legal team will immediately push for this to happen.

If he were released, it would be much harder for authorities in Portugal, Germany and the UK to prosecute him in the Madeleine case, as he could return to the nomadic lifestyle he led when he was released. At the same time, he would still have access to legal means to thwart anyone who wanted to investigate him.