Key facts
- Prosecutors seek 15 years for Brückner for unrelated sex crimes.
- Brückner denies involvement in Madeleine McCann's disappearance.
- Charges include rape and sexual abuse allegations from 2000-2017.
- Brückner was released from prison on September 17, 2025, after serving a sentence for a prior rape conviction.
- He was fitted with an electronic ankle tag upon release.
German prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for Christian Brückner, the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann, for unrelated sex crimes. Brückner, 47, is on trial in Braunschweig for three counts of rape and two counts of sexual abuse allegedly committed between 2000 and 2017. Chief prosecutor Ute Lindemann described Brückner as a "dangerous, psychopathic sadist" and argued for his continued detention after his sentence, citing a "high degree of certainty" he would reoffend.
Brückner denies any involvement in the McCann case and has never been charged in relation to it. His defense team has previously stated the case against him is based on "shaky foundations" and questioned the fairness of his trial given his public association with the McCann investigation. The statute of limitations has expired on one of the rape allegations.
Brückner was released from prison on September 17, 2025, after completing a seven-year sentence for a 2005 rape conviction in Portugal. He was fitted with an electronic ankle tag to monitor his movements, though his lawyers have not disclosed his intended residence.