Main suspect in Madeleine McCann disappearance allowed to leave Germany, court rules

Main suspect in disappearance of little boy in 2007 Madeleine McCann is allowed to go Germanya court ruled.

This breaks one of the conditions under which the German national was released after serving his sentence in an unrelated case.

The man identified by the media as Christian Brückner published in mid-september after serving time for raping an elderly American woman. Portugal.

At the time, a court in Hildesheim imposed conditions for 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 forth in the October 28 ruling, but overturned the requirement that the man must reside in Germany.

It was stated that the previous decision interfered with the freedom of movement of European Union citizens within the bloc of 27 countries.

He 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 example “to regulate 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 was being investigated on suspicion of murder in connection with McCann’s disappearance from an apartment complex in the Portuguese resort. Praia da Luz. They said they thought the girl was dead.

Police have since carried out further searches in Portugal, where the man spent many years. However, the suspect denied any involvement in the disappearance of the three-year-old child. was not charged in the case.

His release did not affect the investigation.

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