A German man who is also suspected in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann won’t go on trial before next year on charges related to a string of other sexual offences he is alleged to have committed, a court said.
The 45-year-old was charged on Wednesday by prosecutors in the northern city of Braunschweig with multiple counts of sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
The suspect has not been charged in the McCann case, where he is still being looked at on murder suspicion. He lived in Portugal for many years, including the time that Madeleine vanished there in 2007, while he was vacationing in the Praia da Luz resort. Any participation in her disappearance has been denied by him.
The suspect, identified by the media as Christian Brueckner, is now incarcerated for a rape that he previously committed in Portugal in 2005 and is serving a seven-year sentence.
The almost 100-page indictment has been received, according to the Braunschweig state court.
The next step in the German legal process is for the court to decide whether to put the case to trial. The defence will first have the chance to address the allegations and make any potential trial-related objections.
The court said that, due to its schedule with other cases, the opening of any trial shouldn’t be expected this year..
Before 2023, the Madeleine McCann suspect won’t stand trial in any other crimes.
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