“Twisted Turn in McCann Case: How Prime Suspect Brueckner Schemed for Freedom and a $260K Payoff!”

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner was hoping to land $260,000 worth of damages after he was cleared of rapes this week.

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RadarOnline.com can reveal the German, 47, who moved to Portugal in his late teens, also planned a bid for early release for a separate conviction keeping him behind bars

In 2019, he was found guilty of the 2005 rape of an American woman in the Algarve in Portugal.

That relied on the testimony of key Madeleine witness Helge Busching, who a judge called “unreliable” and “a liar”.

A successful challenge could free Brueckner before his current September 2025 release.

Now Madeleine prosecutors admit they face a race against time to keep him in jail.

According to The Sun, a court source said: “Brueckner’s lawyer said in court he did not believe the 2019 conviction was safe and could be challenged after a witness was discredited.

“Appeals aren’t quick but there is a chance he is released sooner.

“He’d also have a clear path to try for compensation.”

A pupil feared Brueckner, who was adopted, “would turn out bad” as he would often get into fights with other kids and make a point of annoying them – and he was despised by staff.

The former pupil told DailyMail.com: “I’ve only ever had one fight in my life and that was with Brueckner.