10 June 2026 , 18:51
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Police ended Christian Brueckner’s 24-hour surveillance today, raising fears he might finally disappear.
The pedophile—suspected of kidnapping and murdering Madeleine McCann—has been continually monitored by German officers since his release from prison last September.
Now the surveillance—meant for public safety and to protect the rapist from vigilantes—is planned to be terminated following a court ruling that deemed it no longer necessary.
Brueckner is still expected to wear the electronic ankle monitoring tag he showcased in exclusive Sun CCTV footage.
However, Maddie prosecutors are aware that the technology has malfunctioned on several occasions and will fail to function as soon as he leaves Germany.
Sources indicated that the concerning development seemed likely to allow the suspect to be freed and potentially vanish.
A source stated: “The fear has always been that as soon as Brueckner had the chance, he would disappear.
“He might have been released from jail, but he still hasn’t had the freedom because he has been monitored by police all day, every day.
“Once that surveillance ceases, who knows what will happen.
“He has a history of leaving the country when under suspicion, so there is a very real danger he will disappear before the McCann case can ever go to court.”
It is understood that police have appealed the ruling, and the police guard will remain in place until a court makes a final decision.
An online post in Germany, confirmed by police, stated: “A surveillance order for the German suspect in the case of British girl Madeleine “Maddie” McCann, who disappeared in 2007, has not been renewed, according to police in Kiel.
“The police headquarters in the Schleswig-Holstein state capital announced this on Wednesday. They have already filed an appeal with the district court, and a decision is still pending.”
Brueckner was expected to be incarcerated now for verbally abusing a prison officer in 2023.
However, the court case that would have seen him jailed was scrapped last week—allowing him to cycle to his local garden center.
Three-year-old Madeleine, from Rothley, Leics., disappeared from the Ocean Club, in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family.
Brueckner was named as the prime suspect in the disappearance and murder of the child in 2020 by German police.
Police have been able to confirm his phone was near the Ocean Club, where the McCanns were staying, around the time Madeleine disappeared on May 3, 2007.
Witness Helge Busching claims a year later that Brueckner almost confessed to him at a music festival in Spain, indicating “she didn’t scream” as the pair discussed the McCann case.
Investigators say they have physical evidence that Madeleine is dead but lack forensic proof linking Brueckner to the case.
An exclusive Sun investigation—aired as a Channel 4 documentary in May—revealed police possess images contributing to their understanding that Maddie is deceased.
They also have horrifying child abduction stories where Brueckner fantasizes about kidnapping and abusing young girls—including one outside a kindergarten.
He even boasts about his desperation to “take something small and use it for days” in online chats with another pedophile.
Despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence, investigators have hesitated to charge Brueckner, fearing the lack of forensic evidence would jeopardize their case.
They were also unsettled by a court clearing Brueckner of rape and a string of sex assaults last year—the acquittal that set him on the path to freedom.
Since Brueckner’s release, the Met has significantly ramped up their activities on the case, including traveling to Portugal last year to re-interview witnesses, as reported by The Sun.
Last week, we reported how UK police had obtained bombshell files on Brueckner from Germany.
Brueckner has refused to answer police questions about the case but has maintained his innocence in letters.
His lawyers continue to assert his innocence on all matters.
He was released from prison on September 17 when his seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia expired, with German police insisting their Maddie investigation would continue.
Head of Investigations