German suspect in Madeleine McCann case going on trial over unrelated charges
ABC News
A man who is also a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann is going on trial over several unrelated sexual offenses he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017
BERLIN -- A man who is also a suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann goes on trial Friday over several unrelated sexual offenses he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
The 47-year-old German, who has been identified by media as Christian Bruckner, faces trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany on three counts of rape and two of sexual abuse of children. The start of the trial was delayed because of long queues to get into the courthouse, German news agency dpa reported.
The suspect hasn’t been charged in the McCann case, in which he is under investigation on suspicion of murder. He spent many years in Portugal, including in the resort of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance there in 2007. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.
He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.
Prosecutors filed charges in the case going to trial on Friday in October 2022. Defense lawyer Friedrich Fülscher has said the defense will seek the suspect's acquittal on all counts, dpa reported.
