Madeleine McCann prime suspect ‘no longer subject to 24/7 police surveillance’

The prime suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann will no longer be subject to round-the-clock police surveillance, according to reports.Christian Brueckner’s lawyer said the convicted rapist is “very happy” after a court ruled the legal requirements for him to be watched by officers 24 hours a day are no longer met.The 49-year-old, who was released from a German prison last September after serving seven years for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal, will still be monitored by an ankle tag.German prosecutors previously named Brueckner as their suspect in Madeleine’s unsolved disappearance. The British toddler was three when she vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in May 2007.Christian Brueckner was released from prison after serving seven years for rape (Getty)Brueckner has never been charged and strongly denies any involvement.His lawyer, Philipp Marquort, told ITV News: “Two courts have now ruled consistently: The legal requirements for round-the-clock surveillance are not met.”His constant police surveillance was due to end at midnight last night, according to reports.The decision is said come after Schleswig-Holstein Higher Regional Court in North West Germany rejected a police appeal against lifting the measures, following a new expert assessment of his risk of reoffending.Madeleine McCann vanished at the age of three in 2007 (PA Media)The psychological and psychiatric assessment reportedly found Brueckner posed an average, rather than high, risk of reoffending. The court also raised concerns that constant surveillance was undermining his rehabilitation.However his lawyer argues that Brueckner must now have an opportunity to rebuild his life."Anyone who has served their sentence in full must be given the chance to rebuild a life in freedom,” Mr Marquort said.Brueckner was released from Sehnde high-security prison last year (Getty)“For thirteen months, that was impossible with police officers following his every step. Now my client can begin.”In an interview this year, the convict admitted he was 150 yards from the McCann’s apartment on the night of her disappearance“I was on the beach, not far from Maddie's hotel, selling drugs. I'd been in Spain and smuggled the weed into Portugal,” he told the Mail on Sunday. “I was even stopped by police three times on the street [in Praia da Luz] while they were looking for Maddie,” he added. “Luckily, they didn't find the drugs. My van was full of them.”Last year, German federal officers searched a string of abandoned buildings in a stretch of neglected wasteland near a cottage Brueckner used to rent outside Praia da Luz, armed with high-tech ground penetrating radar, but did not uncover any significant evidence.