The man fears Madeleine McCann was hidden in a van shown to him by a suspect

Christian Brueckner’s ex-girlfriend’s father fears Madeleine McCann was hidden in the pedophile’s van as he was being shown around.

Dieter Fehlinger, 67, looked at the VW 2007 when he was visiting his daughter Nicole in Portugal.

He previously said Brueckner – the prime suspect in Maddie’s murder – said he could hide drugs or “even a small child” in an adapted stash.

Fehlinger initially brushed off his concerns but is now haunted by the possibility that the British toddler could be hiding right under his nose.

The former ambulance driver told Australian TV: “I’ve been thinking about it all the time.”

Brueckner, a convicted pedophile and rapist from Germany, was living in his van around the same time Madeleine disappeared from her family’s holiday villa in Praia da Luz in 2007.

He had been with Nicole, 45, since 2006 after meeting her at a Christmas party. German authorities have questioned her about their relationship, but she is not a suspect.

Brueckner is currently behind bars for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in the same area of ​​Portugal where Madeleine went missing.

A milestone was reached in the case last month when Portuguese police officially named him the prime suspect in the British tot’s disappearance.

He’s been under investigation by German officials for two years, and while they’re building a case against him, it’s unlikely he’ll be charged in Maddie’s death any time soon.

This despite investigators saying they had uncovered crucial new evidence linking Brueckner to the toddler.

However, German prosecutors are believed to be just days away from indicting him on various sex offenses unrelated to Maddie’s disappearance.

He is suspected of raping an Irish tour guide and indecently exposing himself to youth in Portugal, the Mirror reports.

Paperwork was handed to Brueckner’s lawyers, the last step under the German system before charges are brought.

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