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MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner enjoyed his first taste of freedom by gorging on a McDonald’s burger – just yards from a baby shop.
The convicted paedophile, 48, had barely walked out of Sehnde prison in Lower Saxony when he was spotted tucking into a cheeseburger, nuggets with sweet and sour sauce, and a coffee in the McDonald’s car park.
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In a grim twist, the fast-food joint sits approximately just 30 feet from a BabyOne store – a franchise selling prams, toys and toddler gear.
Brueckner was seen wolfing down his meal, before puffing on a cigarette outside.
He wore a purple pinstripe shirt, beige trousers and black trainers, his eyes hiding behind dark sunglasses.
A chunky ankle tag strapped to his right leg was also clearly visible.
The fiend was released Wednesday after serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Portugal.
Still considered a danger, German courts ordered Brueckner be fitted with a tracking tag to keep him geo-fenced to within three miles of his new safe house.
If he strays beyond, alarms will sound instantly.
He must also surrender his passport and carry a new government-issued ID at all times.
Despite those controls, investigators fear the pervert could still slip across borders.
What will happen to Brueckner now?
CHRISTIAN Brueckner is set to arrive at a safe house in Germany later today as he starts life outside of prison.
The convicted rapist will be fitted with an electronic tag geo-fenced to three-miles from his new permanent home.
This means cops will be alerted if he steps outside the zone without permission.
Brueckner will be forced to surrender his passport and given an ID card attempting to limit his movements to Germany.
But flight fears remained after it emerged the ankle tag would stop working the instant the sex offender leaves German borders.
Investigators worry Brueckner could flee Germany despite his conditions with no passport required to move freely within mainland Europe.
As part of their bid to interview Brueckner, Met detectives have applied to German investigators for formal legal assistance.
The status would give them access to all German files and witnesses amid apparent new interest from UK detectives in the case.
It follows claims from Germany that British intervention could be crucial to any hopes of keeping the case going.
The details around police surveillance of his movements remains unclear.
But the monitoring was expected to remain in place until Brueckner’s next scheduled court appearance, in October, over claims he verbally abuse a prisoner governor.
Within mainland Europe, no passport is needed to travel – and his tracking device will stop working if he escapes Germany.
He spent just 15 minutes outside the McDonald’s before being whisked away in his lawyer’s black Audi A6 to a secret safe house.
Brueckner remains the only suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a Portuguese holiday apartment in 2007.
German prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters admitted: “He is not just our number one suspect, he’s our only suspect.
“We have evidence against him but in our view it’s not strong enough to make a guilty verdict likely.”
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UK Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley added: “He remains a suspect for us.
“We’re taking stock on where we are and the German investigation and the Portuguese investigation and working out what we make of those.”
The release is another bitter blow for Kate and Gerry McCann, who have endured 18 agonising years searching for answers.
Three-year-old Madeleine was snatched from her bed in Praia da Luz while her parents dined nearby – sparking one of the world’s biggest ever missing persons hunts.
Brueckner, a drifter with a history of sex crimes against women and children, has always denied any involvement in Madeleine’s disappearance.
But prosecutors insist he remains their prime focus.
TIMELINE OF THE MADDY CASE
HERE’S a timeline of the case which has gripped the world.
May 3, 2007
Madeleine McCann disappears from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history.
January 15, 2016
Neighbour reports a possible ‘grave’ at Brueckner’s abandoned factory in East Germany.
Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search.
February 16, 2016
Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop.
He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then.
May 3, 2017
Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.
He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner.
September 27, 2018
On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy.
He is extradited to Germany the following year.
December 16, 2019
Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed.
He was sentenced to seven years behind bars.
June 4, 2020
German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead.
German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner).
June 23, 2023
In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying “she didn’t scream” as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain.
February 16, 2024
Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany.
Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges.
October 8, 2024
Brueckner was acquitted of all claims.
Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending.
June 1, 2025
Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal.
It lasts for just three days.
September 17, 2025
Christian Brueckner released from jail after serving sentence for rape and allowed to walk free.
