Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in Madeleine McCann's disappearance, is no longer under round-the-clock police surveillance after a German court ruled the legal requirements were not met, though he will still be monitored by an ankle tag.
Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, is no longer subject to 24/7 police surveillance. His lawyer, Philipp Marquort, stated Brueckner is 'very happy' following a court ruling that the legal requirements for constant monitoring are no longer met. Brueckner, a convicted rapist who was released from a German prison last September, will still be monitored via an ankle tag. German prosecutors have named the 49-year-old as their suspect in Madeleine's unsolved case, though he has never been charged and strongly denies any involvement. The decision to lift the surveillance came after the Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court rejected a police appeal, citing a new expert assessment that found Brueckner posed an 'average' rather than 'high' risk of reoffending, and concerns that constant surveillance was hindering his rehabilitation. His lawyer emphasized that Brueckner, having served his sentence, deserves the chance to rebuild his life in freedom. In a recent interview, Brueckner admitted being 150 yards from the McCanns' apartment on the night of her disappearance, selling drugs on the beach, and was even stopped by police searching for Madeleine without his drugs being discovered. Last year, German federal officers searched abandoned buildings near a cottage Brueckner rented outside Praia da Luz but found no significant evidence.
