The prime suspect in the high-profile case of Madeleine McCann's disappearance has been released from prison in Germany, where he has been serving a sentence for an unrelated offence.

Christian Brückner was driven out of jail by his lawyer. He wasn't visible in the car but police confirmed he left Sehnde Prison.

He had been convicted of raping an elderly woman in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2005 and will be fitted with an ankle tag after his release from Sehnde Prison near Hanover.

The German national, 48, has never been charged with any crime in relation to the McCann case. He denies any involvement.

Madeleine vanished in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2007. She and her siblings had been left sleeping in a holiday apartment while her parents, Kate and Gerry, went to a nearby restaurant.

Madeleine's disappearance has become one of the highest-profile unsolved missing person cases in the world.

German prosecutors have pointed to evidence - including mobile phone data - indicating Brückner may have been in the area when she vanished, and have consistently insisted that they think he is responsible.

However, they have not found strong enough evidence to bring charges.

Brückner, who spent many years in the Algarve, was a drifter, a petty criminal and a convicted sex offender. He has several previous convictions, including for sexually abusing children in 1994 and 2016.

Portuguese and German police conducted a fresh search between where the McCanns had been staying and addresses linked to Brückner in June this year, but this yielded no breakthroughs.

In 2023, investigators carried out searches near the Barragem do Arade reservoir, about 30 miles from Praia da Luz.

Brückner spent time in the Praia da Luz area between 2000 and 2017 and had photographs and videos of himself near the reservoir.

In October last year, Brückner was cleared of unrelated sexual offences by a German court, alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Due to differences in legal systems, German authorities suspect Brückner of murder in relation to Madeleine McCann, while British police continue to treat her disappearance as a missing persons case.

The funding given to the Met's investigation, Operation Grange, has totalled more than £13.2m since 2011. A further £108,000 was secured from the government in April.