MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is planning an audacious bid for early release and up to £200,000 in damages.
Lawyers for the paedophile — cleared of rapes this week — want to appeal a separate conviction keeping him in jail.
In 2019, he was found guilty of the 2005 rape of an American woman in Portugal’s Algarve.
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.
Madeleine prosecutors have admitted they face a race against time to keep him in jail.
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.”
Under German law anyone wrongfully imprisoned can receive £63 for each day in jail, plus further compensation.
Other legal experts believe any appeal has little chance of succeeding as one of his hairs were found at the 2005 scene.
Brueckner was identified as prime Madeleine suspect in 2020 but is yet to be charged over the three-year-old’s disappearance in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.
He denies any involvement.
