MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could face three extra months behind bars after the woman who paid his fine asked for her money back.

The mystery donor – an ex-cop who investigated the suspect – settled a £1,300 outstanding court fine allowing Brueckner, 48, to walk free in September.

Portrait of a young girl with blonde hair and a pink velvet dress.
Madeleine vanished on May 3, 2007, while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz in Portugal
Credit: PA

Man in a light blue blazer in a courtroom.
Christian Brueckner is believed to be the lead suspect in the girl’s disappearance
Credit: Dan Charity

Group of people hiking through brush.
Officials recently went on a renewed search for DNA evidence in Portugal
Credit: Dan Charity
But the former German FBI agent has now emailed prosecutors pleading she has made a “mistake” – and begged for the funds to be returned to her.

Officials are taking the request seriously and were last night looking at how the funds could be sent back.

Reports in Germany said: “In an email to the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor’s Office, the former BKA employee is now demanding repayment of the money.

“She stated that she was unaware that Christian B. had been convicted in previous cases, including forgery.”

The ex-cop is said to have told officials: “I therefore wish to contest my declaration of intent to repay the payment and invalidate the legal transaction accordingly.”

The payment cleared a 2016 Helmstedt District Court fine for drunkenness in traffic and forgery of documents and a 2017 Braunschweig court levy for assault.
Mystery female donor who paid £1,300 fine to free Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner is former COP who investigated him
Maddie prosecutors said it was investigating “the extent to which the payment received in the criminal case against Christian B. can actually be credited toward the fine imposed there.”

It stated that it had found evidence “that the payment was made by mistake.”

Brueckner will now walk free when his sentence for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz, in 2005, ends.

He has been named publicly as the prime suspect over the May 3 2007 disappearance of Maddie, of Rothley, Leics., since 2020 but never been charged.

He has used letters to deny the claims but has refused to answer police questions or provide an alibi.

His phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished and made a 30-minute call from the area.

His Jaguar was re-registered into a name the day after the disappearance.

A Sun investigation this year revealed bombshell new evidence – including Brueckner’s obsession with snatching and abusing small, young, blonde girls.

Three men in a courtroom.
Brueckner appeared in court earlier this year over verbal assaults on prison guards
Credit: Rob Pattinson

Smiling toddler girl in pink dress and white hat.

Maddie has now been missing for 18 years
Credit: AFP

Backhoe demolishing a stone structure. People watch nearby.
The search last week was focused on a handful of derelict building
Credit: Dan Charity
We also placed him at key police locations of interest, including a lake where cops dug for evidence.

And we showed evidence he was at the scene of an all-but-confession when he allegedly said Maddie “did not scream,” in 2008.
Our probe – aired on Channel 4 – revealed the existence of a hard-drive and laptop containing crucial picture evidence on the case.

Police maintain they have physical evidence Maddie is dead – but no forensic links.

German police have recently stressed the value UK authorities could provide by getting involved in the case again before Brueckner’s release.

He has refused to rule out leaving Germany and insisted he will go to ground on his release.

If he travelled to a non-extradition country all hopes for McCann justice could disappear with him.