Germany acquits suspect in British toddler disappearance case of unrelated sexual crimes

BRUNSWICK, Germany  — A suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann was acquitted of unrelated sexual abuse charges by a court in the German city of Brunswick on Tuesday.

Christian Brueckner has been formally identified as a suspect in the case of “Maddie” McCann, who disappeared from her bedroom in 2007 during a family holiday in Portugal. He denies any involvement.

Brueckner, a convicted child abuser and drug trader, is already serving a seven-year prison term in Germany for raping a woman in the part of Portugal’s Algarve region where McCann went missing.

His sentence runs until September 2025.

In the trial in Brunswick, which started in February, Brueckner faced three charges of aggravated rape and two of sexual abuse of children committed between 2000 and 2017.

Prosecutors had argued for the German national to be given a 15-year sentence while his lawyer had called for him to be acquitted, saying he had only been put on trial because he was a suspect in the McCann case.

McCann, then aged 3, 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 as the McCanns sought publicity to help find their daughter. Soccer stars David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo were among those joining appeals for information.

Her fate remains a mystery and no body has ever been found.

German police said in June 2020 that McCann was assumed dead and that Brueckner, in his 40s, was likely responsible for it, but they have never brought charges against him.