Madeleine McCann suspect fails second attempt to get out of prison for raping pensioner

Christian Brueckner, a 45-year-old convicted pedophile, is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz and was eligible for parole halfway through his sentence

Madeleine McCann’s suspicion of Christian Brueckner has failed in a second attempt to be released from prison.

The 45-year-old pedophile is currently serving a seven-year sentence for raping a pensioner in Praia da Luz.

He was eligible for parole after serving half of his sentence with pre-trial detention.

Judges denied the request in April, branding Brueckner a danger to society who would face another criminal offense if she was released from prison.

They concluded that his “social prognosis” meant he had to remain behind bars in the northern German city of Kiel.

Brueckner appealed this court decision, but a higher regional court in Oldenburg today upheld the original decision.

Madeleine disappeared from her parents’ holiday home in Praia da Luz in May 2007 while on a family holiday.

Brueckner, who lived near the Algarve resort, denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

The public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig is expected to charge him with new sexual offenses in a few weeks.

He is a suspect in the rape of an Irish holiday salesman and indecent exposure to children at a playground in the Algarve.

His original request for parole was heard at a behind-closed-doors session in Oldenburg, northwest Germany, on April 21.

Under German law, an inmate may apply for liberty after serving half of his sentence, which local authorities must consider.

He has now exhausted his appeals process and will remain in prison until at least May 2023, when another request for parole can be reconsidered.

Brückner’s lawyer Friedrich Fulscher declined to comment on the court’s decision.

The German denies any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Her parents Kate and Gerry McCann, from Rothley, Leics, still believe their daughter is alive.

They recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of her disappearance with a candlelight vigil.