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The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, convicted paedophile and rapist Christian Brueckner has been acquitted of unrelated sexual abuse charges in a German court.
Brueckner is suspected of abducting the British toddler, aged three, from her parent’s holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007 before killing her.
He denies any involvement and charges have not been brought.
In a separate trial in Brunswick, Brueckner had faced three charges of aggravated rape and two of sexual abuse of children that took place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Prosecutors had argued for the German national to be handed a 15-year sentence and for him to be placed under preventive detention, whereby particularly dangerous prisoners are not released even if they have served their sentence.
However, his lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, argued that he should be acquitted, questioning the veracity of witness statements and telling the court: “The trial should never have taken place.”
In a move widely seen as a sign that he could be acquitted, the judge, Ute Engemann, ruled in July that the evidence against the defendant was “insufficient”.
Brueckner is already serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for raping a woman in the area of Portugal’s Algarve region where Madeleine went missing.
She disappeared from her bedroom in May 2007 during a family holiday in the resort of Praia da Luz while her parents were dining with friends nearby.
The disappearance sparked a media frenzy in Britain and Portugal and dominated headlines for months, as her parents made repeated appeals for information.
In May this year, Madeleine’s family said they are still “living in limbo” as they marked 17 years since their little girl vanished.
In a social media post to mark the painful anniversary, her parents wrote: “It’s 17 years since Madeleine was taken from us.
“It’s hard to even say that number without shaking our heads in disbelief. Whilst we are fortunate in many ways and able to live a relatively normal and enjoyable life now, the ‘living in limbo’ is still very unsettling. And the absence still aches.
“Your support continues to encourage us and bolsters our strength to keep going. We know the love and hope for Madeleine and the will to find her, even after so many years, remains, and we are truly thankful for that. Thank you again for remembering Madeleine and all missing children.”
