A German court acquitted Christian Brueckner, who is also a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, in a trial on charges of unrelated sexual offenses. Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year sentence for rape in a different case. The court did not charge him in the McCann case, where he is under investigation for murder. The 47-year-old German national was acquitted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse in a trial that had been ongoing since February, where defense lawyers argued a lack of evidence and unreliable witnesses.
Prosecutors had sought a 15-year prison sentence for Brueckner, along with preventive detention once he had served his time. The presiding judge, Uta Engemann, stated that the evidence presented was not enough to convict Brueckner, pointing to unreliable witnesses and media influence. She noted that witnesses had been influenced by the portrayal of Brueckner in the media as a “sex monster and child murderer.” The defense argued that an acquittal was the only outcome that matched the factual and legal situation, which was fulfilled in this ruling.
Despite the acquittal in the unrelated sexual offenses, Brueckner remains a suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Prosecutors have indicated that they will appeal the ruling, believing it to be wrong. Brueckner has denied any involvement in the McCann case, but spent time in Portugal, including in the resort of Praia da Luz, around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance in 2007. The Braunschweig state court, where Brueckner had his last German residence, had jurisdiction over his trial due to this connection.
The defense had highlighted the lack of evidence and credibility of witnesses in the case against Brueckner for offenses in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. They suggested that he might not have been charged if he had not also been a suspect in the McCann case. The acquittal in this trial does not impact Brueckner’s current seven-year prison sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal in 2005. He will remain in prison for another year due to this prior conviction, unrelated to the charges he faced in this trial.
Brueckner’s lawyer expressed that the outcome of the trial was expected from the defense’s perspective, given the evidence and legal situation. The acquittal means that Brueckner will not face further punishment in this case, but the ongoing investigation into the Madeleine McCann disappearance continues. As Brueckner has not been charged in the McCann case, the focus remains on uncovering the truth behind the young girl’s disappearance in 2007. Despite the outcome of this trial, the legal process surrounding Brueckner’s potential involvement in the McCann case remains a significant ongoing investigation.
