German prosecutors have called for a sexual offences conviction and 15-year prison sentence for a man who is also under investigation separately over the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann.
The 47-year-old German national, who has been identified by local media as Christian Brückner, is on trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany over offences he is alleged to have committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Closing arguments in the trial, which opened in February, started on Wednesday. Prosecutor Ute Lindemann argued that he should be convicted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, and should be kept in preventive detention after he has served a 15-year sentence, German news agency dpa reported. Lindemann said he should be acquitted of a third count of rape.
The defence is expected to make its case on Monday, and a verdict could follow on Tuesday.
Brückner is the main suspect in the McCann case but has not been charged in relation to the toddler’s disappearance.
He spent many years in Portugal, including in the resort of Praia da Luz around the time that Madeleine was there on holiday 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.
Brückner’s lawyer said in February that his client would not respond to the charges, but that he expected an acquittal. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system and there is no obligation for defendants to respond.
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In July, the court lifted an arrest warrant in the cases at stake in the current trial, citing a lack of “urgent suspicion” against the defendant. But he has remained behind bars because of the sentence he is currently serving.
Source: theguardian.com
