Suspect in McCann case won't respond to charges in his German trial over unrelated offenses
A lawyer for a man who is also under investigation in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann says he won’t respond to unrelated charges of sexual offenses at a trial that opened last week in Germany
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man who is also under investigation in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann won't respond to unrelated charges of sexual offenses at a trial that opened last week in Germany, his lawyer said Friday.
The 47-year-old German, who has been identified by media as Christian Bruckner, faces three counts of rape and two of sexual abuse of children in the trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany. He is alleged to have committed the offenses in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
“The defendant is using his right to remain silent,” defense lawyer Friedrich Fülscher told the Braunschweig state court, German news agency dpa reported. Fülscher added that he expects his client to be acquitted. He has called the evidence in the indictment “abysmal.”
There are no formal pleas in the German legal system, and defendants aren't obliged to respond to the charges.
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.
The trial opened a week ago but was quickly adjourned on its first day after Fülscher filed a challenge against a lay judge on the panel hearing the case, who was alleged once to have spread a call to kill former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on social media. Prosecutors joined that challenge.
The woman has been removed from the case and now faces an investigation herself on suspicion of making a public call to commit crimes.