A 47-year-old German man, identified as Christian Bruckner by media, is facing charges of three counts of rape and two counts of sexual abuse of children in a trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany. The alleged offenses took place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. Bruckner's defense lawyer stated that the defendant has chosen to remain silent and is exercising his right not to respond to the charges. The lawyer expressed confidence in his client's acquittal, criticizing the evidence presented in the indictment as 'abysmal.'
In the German legal system, there are no formal pleas, and defendants are not obligated to address the charges brought against them. Bruckner is also under investigation in the high-profile case of the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann, although he has not been formally charged in that case. He has denied any involvement in the disappearance, which occurred in Portugal in 2007 while he was residing in the country, particularly in the resort of Praia da Luz.
Currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape committed in Portugal in 2005, Bruckner's trial for the recent charges began last week but was adjourned on the first day. This delay was due to a challenge filed by his defense lawyer against a lay judge on the panel hearing the case. The judge was accused of spreading a call to kill former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on social media. Prosecutors supported the challenge, leading to the removal of the judge from the case. The former judge is now under investigation herself for allegedly inciting public crimes.
