A prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is set to walk free, thanks to his German FBI agent, who paved the way for his release.
Rebecca K, 39, knew suspect Christian Brueckner was a rapist and a paedophile, but had concerns his human rights had been violated.
Rebecca, the mystery donor, paid the £1,300 court fine Brueckner owed because she "felt sorry" for him.
Her bizarre act of kindness means the German could be released as early as this week, rather than in January 2026.
Rebecca was part of the covert team monitoring the predator before she fell out with colleagues, leading to her career fizzling out.
She said she "felt sorry" for Brueckner and paid his fine related to cases of assault, forgery and drunkenness.
Rebecca stated: "He claimed he had been tortured and I believed his human rights might have been infringed.
"I thought his human rights had been violated in the same way I felt my human rights had been violated by my former colleagues."
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Madeleine McCann went missing in 2007 | GETTYShe continued: "When I paid the fine, I knew Brueckner was a convicted, violent rapist and child abuser, but his lawyer told me that he denies everything, and it was maybe wrong."
Rebecca also let out secrets of the McCann case, which she says was a "completely honest mistake".
Blinded by revenge, she was motivated to get her own back at the Bundeskriminalamt (BKA) - Germany's equivalent of the FBI.
Rebecca claims she was not asked to come back to her job after maternity leave, which the BKA denies.
She said: "If Madeleine's parents asked me why I did this, I would say to help find out the truth about my own case."
Brueckner was jailed for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz in 2005.
While he has never been charged but remained the prime suspect since 2020.
He has refused to answer police questions in the past or provide an alibi.
Christian Brueckner is the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case
| GETTYBrueckner's phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine went missing, with him making a 30-minute call from the area.
His Jaguar car was re-registered to a friend the day after.
Yesterday evening, Rebecca appeared to regret her decision, claiming she regretted forking out for the fine.
She said: "I wanted to withdraw the money, but I was told it wasn't possible. This isn't what I wanted."