German prosecutors have requested a 15-year prison sentence for a suspect, believed to be Christian Brueckner, in an unrelated trial, while he also remains under investigation in the Madeleine McCann case. The 47-year-old German national is facing charges for sexual offenses allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The trial, which commenced in February at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany, entered its closing arguments on Wednesday. Prosecutor Ute Lindemann urged the court to find the defendant guilty of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, recommending that he be placed in preventive detention following his prison term. Lindemann proposed an acquittal on a third count of rape. The defence is scheduled to present its case on Monday, with a verdict expected to follow on Tuesday.
Despite being a person of interest in Madeleine McCann’s disappearance in 2007, the suspect has not been formally charged in the case. Brueckner, who spent time in Portugal, particularly in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s vanishing, has consistently denied any involvement in the incident. Currently serving a seven-year sentence in Germany for a rape conviction in Portugal in 2005, Brueckner’s lawyer previously indicated that the client would not address the latest charges, anticipating an acquittal. In July, the court revoked an arrest warrant related to the ongoing trial due to a lack of “urgent suspicion,” though the defendant remains in custody due to his existing sentence.
The case has drawn significant attention as the suspect’s potential link to the high-profile Madeleine McCann case continues to unfold. The trial’s outcome, following the prosecutors’ call for a lengthy prison term, remains eagerly awaited. Stay tuned for further developments as the legal proceedings progress.