McCann suspect faces bid to overturn rape acquittal

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 17 Oct, 18:20 · Archive

German prosecutors are seeking to overturn Christian Brueckner's acquittal on sex charges unrelated to Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

German prosecutors are seeking to overturn Christian Brueckner's acquittal on a string of sex charges, potentially leading to a new rape trial. The charges are unrelated to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the three-year-old British girl who vanished from a family holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007.

Brueckner, a 49-year-old German, remains the prime suspect in McCann's disappearance, though he has never been charged in connection with the case and has vehemently denied any involvement. Both German prosecutors and Metropolitan Police detectives maintain he is the prime suspect.

According to the Daily Express, the latest bid to bring Brueckner back to court centres on charges he was cleared of in October 2024, including the alleged rape of a woman in her holiday apartment and the sexual abuse of children. Brueckner was released from prison in September last year after serving a sentence for raping a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal in 2005. Since leaving jail, he has been living under 24-hour police guard with an ankle tag in the north-eastern German city of Kiel.

How it is being reported

• Maddie McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner could face rape trialEXCLUSIVE: Prosecutors are seeking to overturn a string of sex assault charges for which the German paedophile was previously acquitted.Daily Express · 17 Oct, 18:03
• Madeleine McCann prime suspect could face new rape trialThe prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case could face a new rape trial after German prosecutors launched a legal bid to overturn his acquittal on a string of sex charges, unrelated to the missing British girl.Sky News · 16 Oct, 12:03

In this story: Christian Brueckner · Madeleine McCann · Germany · Portugal · Praia da Luz · Metropolitan Police

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem