Court rules that suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance can leave Germany

BERLIN (AP) — A man under investigation in the 2007 disappearance of a British toddler Madeleine McCann He was allowed to leave Germany, breaking one of those conditions, a court ruled Monday. was released after serving his sentence in an unrelated case.

German citizen identified by the media Christian BrucknerHe was released in mid-September after serving a sentence stemming from his 2019 conviction for raping a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal.

At the time, a court in Hildesheim imposed conditions for a period of five years, including that he wear an electronic ankle monitor, report regularly to probation services and reside in Germany.

On Monday, a higher state court in Celle said it approved most of the conditions set out in the October 28 ruling, but overturned the requirement that he reside in Germany. It was stated that this interfered with the freedom of movement of European Union citizens within the bloc of 27 countries.

The court added that, in principle, it might be possible to impose a temporary ban on the man leaving Germany or banning him from traveling to certain areas for reasons such as “regulating technical matters”, but the lower court in Hildesheim would have to decide exactly what arrangements to make.

In June 2020, German prosecutors said the man being investigated on suspicion of murder in connection with McCann’s disappearance from an apartment complex in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz. They said they thought the girl was dead.

Police have been carrying out ever since no more searches In Portugal, where the guy spent many years. But the suspect, who denies any involvement in the three-year-old boy’s disappearance, has not yet been charged. case. The investigation was not affected by his release.

The man’s lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, said charges would have been filed against his client long ago if there had been sufficient evidence.