Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner is planning to publish a book proclaiming his innocence, it has been claimed.

The 49-year-old paedophile is said to have begun drafting the book and approached at least one professional writer to help produce and translate it.

The convicted rapist wants the finished work to be published in both German and English, according to the Daily Mirror.

‘Brueckner is desperate to tell his side of the story,’ an unnamed source close to him told the newspaper.

‘He believes that writing about his innocence will help him.’

The source claimed Brueckner also views the proposed book as a way to make money after struggling to find work since his release from prison.

No publisher is known to have agreed to take on the project, while there is no indication of when or whether the book could appear.

Brueckner has never been charged over Madeleine’s disappearance and has repeatedly denied any involvement.

Madeleine was three years old when she disappeared from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, on Portugal’s Algarve, on May 3, 2007.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, had been eating with friends at a nearby tapas restaurant when they discovered she was missing.

German prosecutors publicly identified Brueckner as their principal suspect in June 2020 and said they believed Madeleine had been abducted and murdered.

However, despite investigating him for more than six years, they have not gathered enough evidence to bring charges.

Brueckner was living around the Algarve at the time of Madeleine’s disappearance and had spent years moving between Portugal and Germany.

His phone was reportedly active in the Praia da Luz area on the evening she vanished.

In a recent interview, Brueckner claimed he had been selling drugs on a beach close to the McCanns’ holiday complex that night.

He alleged that police stopped him three times as he tried to leave Praia da Luz in a van containing drugs but failed to search the vehicle.

The claims are Brueckner’s own account and have not been independently confirmed. He continues to insist that he played no role in Madeleine’s disappearance.

Brueckner was released from Sehnde prison in northern Germany on September 17 last year after completing a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old American woman.

The attack took place in Praia da Luz in 2005, two years before Madeleine disappeared from the same resort.

He was convicted in 2019 after DNA evidence linked him to the crime.

Brueckner has also previously been convicted of the sexual abuse of children in cases unrelated to Madeleine.

German authorities could not legally keep him imprisoned once he completed his rape sentence because he has never been charged in connection with Madeleine’s disappearance.

His release came with strict conditions, including wearing an electronic ankle tag, surrendering his passport and remaining in regular contact with probation officials.

Brueckner has reportedly moved several times since leaving prison after residents objected to him living in their neighbourhoods.

He is now said to be staying at a secured compound in northern Germany, where his movements are closely monitored.

The alleged book project comes just over a year after his release and is likely to cause further anguish for Madeleine’s family, who have spent almost two decades waiting for answers.

According to reports, Brueckner hopes a published account will improve his public image while generating income through book sales.