The man who German prosecutors believe is responsible for the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has arrived in court to face a series of sexual abuse charges.
Christian Brückner was pictured as he pulled up to the courtroom in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, shortly after 8am local time this morning wearing a dark green hoodie.
His beady blue eyes could be seen peering through the bars across the vehicle's windows before he was dragged out and marched past a raucous crowd of around 40 journalists to the courthouse.
Armed police guarded the outside area while the 100 or so people waiting in line to enter the building underwent airport-style security checks.
It is the first time the convicted sex offender has been seen in public since 2020, when he was filmed climbing into an ambulance to receive treatment after an attack in prison.
The 47-year-old is accused of three counts of rape and two counts of indecent assault, relating to five women and girls aged between 10 and 80 – the allegations which the convicted sex offender shamelessly told Web were “ridiculous”.
A total of 29 days are planned for the trial, which will involve more than 40 witnesses. The verdict is expected to be handed down in June.
If found guilty on all charges, Brueckner will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
But officials hope that Brueckner will clear up the charges by convicting him and reveal information about Madeleine in return for a lighter sentence – although sources close to him say he will remain silent and not testify.
Brueckner is already serving a seven-year prison sentence for raping an elderly American woman in the Algarve in 2005 and was jailed in 2019, according to two former pals who will also testify at his new trial.
Christian Brückner was pictured in the prison van in front of the courtroom in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony
Christian Brückner was pictured in the prison van in front of the courtroom in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony
Brueckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police in June 2020 as the man responsible for the kidnap and murder of Madeleine while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry McCann
Police officers stand guard as people line up at the entrance to the court where a man suspected in connection with the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann in Portugal went on trial in Germany on unrelated sexual assault charges in Braunschweig February 16 stands. 2024
Madeleine McCann's suspect and convicted rapist Christian Brueckner has shamelessly told Web that his upcoming trial for sex crimes is “ridiculous”.
Brueckner, 47, was sensationally named by German police in June 2020 as the man responsible for the kidnap and murder of Madeleine while on holiday with her parents Kate and Gerry McCann.
The then three-year-old, from Rothley, Leicestershire, was abducted from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz on Portugal's Algarve coast in May 2007 and has not been seen or heard from since.
Brueckner, who was living in the area at the time, has previously denied to Web any involvement in her abduction and murder.
The charges he faces in court today have nothing to do with the Madeleine case.
He insists that DNA and electronic evidence against him is false and that witnesses are lying about him.
Prosecutors also face a dilemma because two of the rape victims cannot be identified, but the third victim is known – Irish tour guide Hazel Behan, who says she was attacked while working in the Algarve in 2004.
She says she was threatened with a knife, tied up and subjected to an hours-long attack by a man she later recognized as Brückner after his picture was released by German police in 2020.
She was a 20-year-old representative at the time and the now-married mother of three will be among several key witnesses to testify at the trial, which is scheduled to last until June.
The other two rapes involved an unknown woman between the ages of 70 and 80 and an unknown girl around 14 years old.
The fourth charge is an indecent assault on a 10-year-old girl on a beach near where Madeleine disappeared a month later, and the final charge is also an indecent assault on another Child in the Algarve on a playground in 2017.
Regarding the case before the trial, Brückner, who denies the allegations, said in a mocking tone: “I hope that (they) will soon find answers to (their) questions.”
Web learned that Brückner was transferred from Oldenburg prison in northern Germany, where he was serving his seven-year sentence, to Schnedebruch near Hanover for the duration of the trial.
He was also transferred after complaining about mistreatment by guards in Oldenburg, where he was housed in a secure isolation unit.
Bruecker told Web: “My situation hasn't changed at all.” I've just moved to prison. I'm still completely isolated. For over two years now.
“I am still not allowed to speak to anyone other than my lawyer and my punishers (guardians).”
Undated handout file photo of Madeleine McCann
Just a few weeks before Madeleine McCann was kidnapped, Christian Brueckner was photographed in front of a battered VW camper van
Madeleine McCann's parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, said they welcomed Portuguese authorities naming Brueckner a formal suspect in her disappearance
Prosecutors also face a dilemma because two of the rape victims cannot be identified, but the third victim is known – Irish tour guide Hazel Behan, who says she was attacked while working in the Algarve in 2004
In an exclusive conversation with Web, Brückner's lawyer Friedrich Fulscher said he was seeking “a complete acquittal” on all charges.
He said: “We hope for a fair trial, but my client has been attacked in the media.” He will say nothing before the hearing other than giving his name, but nothing should be inferred from that.
“What needs to be made clear is that these charges have nothing to do with Madeleine McCann and there are no updates from the Crown Prosecution Service now, almost four years after he was named a suspect.”
“He has not been charged with anything in connection with the McCann investigation and I have not even been given access to the files in this case and I have no idea what evidence there is against him.”
“Only the prosecution believes they have the right person.”
As part of his defense team, Mr. Fulscher has recruited three other exporters, including Philipp Marfort, an IT forensics expert who will help Brückner deal with mobile and computer data.
His team also includes Atilla Aykac, a cross-examination expert who recently asked for a case to be dismissed after revealing that a judge in a trial was having an affair.
Mr. Fulscher warned: “Some of the prosecution witnesses will have to be prepared for some uncomfortable questions.”
The final member of the team is law professor Dennis Bock, whom Mr. Fulscher described as “simply legally brilliant.”
The witnesses will include Brueckner's former friends and ex-girlfriends, and Hazel's ex-boyfriend is also expected to testify.