The main suspect in the high-profile disappearance of three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann has been acquitted of unrelated rape and sexual abuse charges by a German court.
Christian Brückner, 47, faced allegations related to five offences committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017 but was found not guilty. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a separate rape conviction.
Despite being identified as a suspect in the McCann case, which remains unresolved since her disappearance in 2007, Brückner has not been formally charged in connection with this matter. His defense argued for acquittal based on a lack of evidence, while prosecutors had sought a potential additional 15-year sentence.
Brückner’s current sentence, stemming from a 2019 court ruling for raping an American pensioner, will conclude next September. The presiding judge highlighted insufficient evidence for conviction, prompting prosecutors to announce plans to appeal the verdict.
Brückner, who spent significant time in Portugal’s Algarve region, was named a suspect in McCann’s abduction by German authorities in 2020. McCann vanished while on holiday with her family in Praia da Luz.
Even though his recent trial was unrelated to the McCann case, it attracted extensive media attention when it commenced in February. Observers noted the summer lifting of an arrest warrant related to the case as a possible signal of an impending acquittal.
During the trial, while Brückner did not testify, his attorney contended that the acquittal represented a just outcome, given the inability to identify two alleged victims and the questionability of witness credibility. Testimonies included accounts from an Irish woman who reported being raped by a masked intruder in 2004, whom she believes was Brückner.
Moving forward, prosecutors are seeking measures to keep Brückner in preventive detention after his release next year, while his defense is also expected to contest the earlier rape conviction.
