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MADELEINE McCann prime suspect has bragged he can’t wait to be freed - so he can have a steak and a beer.
In his first interview, convicted paedo Christian Brueckner, 48, told a German broadcaster he was fed-up of being in prison - just as a fresh search for Maddie's body kicks off.
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The rapist - who has refused to answer police questions over Maddie - whinged that staying tight lipped means he speaks less than ten words a day.
He even claimed he had forgotten how to use his facial expressions.
Brueckner told RTL he did not kill Maddie.
He also denied the 2005 rape he was convicted of in 2019 and which keeps him behind bars.
He said: "As I told you, of course, the fact that I have been in prison for many years for something that I cannot have committed and that therefore, through the participation of the media, half the world considers me a cruel rapist."
Brueckner was sentenced to seven years behind bars for raping an elderly woman in the Algarve - and is due to be released in September.
He is seeing out his sentence in voluntary solitary confinement after being attacked by another inmate, who broke one of his ribs.
German prosecutors have been clear they believe he killed Madeleine - but it's now a race against time for them to pin him to the crime.
Brueckner admits that, if released, he would flee to a country without an extradition treaty with Germany and go into hiding.
Philipp Marquort, one of his lawyers, previously said: "If I were him I would leave Europe and look for a state which doesn't extradite to Europe or Great Britain, maybe like Suriname."
New Madeleine McCann search launches TOMORROW near villa where she vanished & suspect’s house as UK cops issue statement
The lawyer also told The Mirror: "I would get a face operation if I were him. I mentioned to him it would be nice for him to change his face or how he looks so that nobody can recognise him anymore."
That means that even if evidence linking Brueckner to Maddie's death surfaces further down the line, it may be impossible to haul him back to Germany to face justice.
Prosecutors have been scrambling to buy time in this knowledge.
Their last attempt involved charging Brueckner with insulting a prison guard - a crime in Germany - for which he was found guilty, but only received a suspended sentence, meaning his jail term was not extended.
The paedo flashed a chilling smirk on his way out of court when journalists asked whether he killed Maddie.
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On Monday, German cops announced they would be launching a fresh dig for Madeleine's body today in Praia da Luz, Portugal, where she vanished from a holiday flat in 2007 aged three.
The area has been searched before, but this time the teams are armed with radar technology which can scan 15ft down into the ground.
The new search for Madeleine will focus on extensive groundworks that took place at the time she vanished, and last until Friday.
A source said: “It’s now or never.”
This bombshell new search is most important yet
By Rob Pattinson, Senior District Reporter
AFTER the airing of our exclusive investigation it quickly became clear - very few people had any idea over the extent of what the convicted paedophile and rapist might be capable of.
Despite denying any involvement in Maddie's disappearance, we need to remind ourselves, he is currently on course to walk free in September - in a matter of some 15 weeks.
And THAT is why the development of this new search in Portugal must be welcomed.
No dig for the remains of a child can not should ever be greeted with happiness. Of course not.
The plight of Maddie is heartbreaking for us all - nevermind how impossible it must be for her dedicated family to consider.
But justice must be done in such appalling circumstances, mustn't it?
Click here to find out why this search is the most important so far.
A police theory is the three-year-old or her pyjamas might have been dumped in trenches near the Ocean Club in Praia da Luz where her family were staying in May 2007.
At least 30 agents from Germany’s FBI — the BKA — acting on a tip-off arrived in the Portuguese resort on Monday.
The search area will include a cottage half a mile away used by Brueckner and nearby scrubland.
A Sun investigation released last month uncovered a raft of evidence found at Brueckner's lair found by the German police.
A range of disturbing items show Brueckner’s obsession with young kids.
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Children’s clothes and toys were found at the paedophile rapist’s abandoned den, plus masks, chemicals and guns.
There was also a hard-drive of pictures, which German investigators continue to keep secret, that is believed to indicate why they are sure Madeleine is dead.
Much of the newly uncovered evidence was found by chance at a disused factory Brueckner bought for £20,000 in 2008, a year after Madeleine vanished.
In 2016 a dog ran on to the property and appeared to find a grave.
Local cops then discovered Brueckner’s dead dog - but underneath was a wallet with six USB sticks and two memory cards.
They contained highly disturbing material — and 100 cops launched a full search of the compound in Neuwegersleben, central Germany.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
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.
September 17, 2025
Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken.
Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case.
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