The court’s recent decision has dealt a new blow to Christian Brueckner, the suspect in the Madeleine McCann case. The higher regional court in a northern German city has ruled that he can now face charges in Germany for separate rape and sexual abuse offenses allegedly committed in Portugal. Earlier, the charges were dropped in April by a state court in Braunschweig, citing a lack of jurisdiction. However, the higher regional court has overruled this decision, potentially subjecting Brueckner to a trial for these offenses.
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Christian Brueckner had been named the key suspect in the disappearance and murder of Madeleine McCann in 2007, but he has not been charged in connection with her abduction, and he denies any involvement. The Braunschweig state court’s initial argument for dropping the charges was based on Brueckner’s last place of residence not being in Lower Saxony, where the court is located, but in the neighboring state of Saxony-Anhalt, where he owned a property. The higher regional court, however, determined that Brueckner’s last domestic residence should be established based on various evidence, including his previous statements, which indicated he was living in Lower Saxony.
This development comes shortly after it was reported that Brueckner had written letters to former friends, appealing for their support and portraying himself as a “good guy” to help clear his name in court. Brueckner is currently serving a prison sentence in Germany for the rape of an American tourist in Portugal, which occurred 18 months before Madeleine’s abduction. The disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains unsolved, with no body ever found, despite extensive investigations and campaigns by her parents. In June, German forensic experts conducted searches at a reservoir near Praia da Luz, but it was reported that their findings were disappointing and did not provide significant breakthroughs in the case.
