THE man suspected of killing three-year-old Madeleine McCann is said to have spent £45,000 in the year after she vanished.

Christian Brueckner got through vast sums despite not paying his rent, reports suggest.

The paedo, 48, has said he was living in a camper van and dealing drugs when Madeleine vanished from Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

A land registration document shows that by 2008 he paid £19,000 for a former box factory in east Germany.

Another document reveals he upgraded his van to a Winnebago costing up to £20,000 by March 2008.

And it has previously been reported he had his buck teeth fixed for £6,000 in September 2007.

A Praia local who knew Brueckner for years said: “He didn’t pay rent for his bedsit cottage, he just covered bills for the owner.”

A source close to the case in Germany, added: “He admits dealing drugs in one breath - then claims he is innocent of all claims in another.

“If you look at his spending it is impossible to see where the money came from without linking it to crime.

“Whatever he was up to, he must have had a serious influx of cash before 2008 when his spending was unprecedented.”

Brueckner is in a German jail for rape and is due for release in September.

He has never been formally charged over Madeleine’s disappearance and denies any involvement.

A three-day search for clues in Praia drew a blank last week.