Fears are mounting that the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann could vanish after round-the-clock police surveillance was scrapped. Christian Brueckner, a convicted paedophile, is no longer under 24/7 police observation, nine months after his release from prison last September.
Since his release, Brueckner had been followed continuously by officers, but a court ruled that the police monitoring was no longer necessary. He will still be required to wear an electronic ankle tag to track his location, but prosecutors have warned that the technology has malfunctioned in the past. Sources claim the tag will fail to work if he leaves Germany, raising fears he could soon disappear out of sight.
Risk of Disappearance
A source told The Sun: 'The fear has always been that as soon as Brueckner got the opportunity he would disappear. He might have been let out of jail but he still hasn’t had that because he has been monitored by police all day every day. Once that surveillance stops who knows what will happen. He has a history of leaving the country when he faces suspicion so there is a very real danger he will disappear before the McCann case can ever get to court.'
German police in the Schleswig-Holstein state are understood to have appealed the decision not to renew the surveillance order. Brueckner will remain under police observation until the court has made a final decision on the appeal.
Background of the Case
Madeleine was three years old when she vanished from the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in the Algarve while on holiday with her parents and siblings. Brueckner, the prime suspect and a convicted rapist, was released after serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany last September for an unrelated sex crime. In addition to that conviction, he has also been convicted of child abuse and drug trafficking.
State prosecutors in Germany have said there is circumstantial evidence suggesting Brueckner was involved in Madeleine's disappearance, including three witnesses who claim he confessed to them. He lived in the Algarve between 1995 and 2007, and worked as a pool maintenance assistant at the Praia da Luz resort, where the McCanns were staying when their daughter vanished. However, extensive searches for more direct evidence have ended without success. Brueckner has denied any involvement in her disappearance and has never been charged with any crimes in connection with Madeleine.
In March, it was announced that additional funding had been granted to continue investigating the disappearance.
