The main suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old British girl Madeleine McCann has been acquitted of rape and sexual abuse charges in a separate trial in Germany. Christian Brückner, 47, was found not guilty of five offenses committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, despite prosecutors seeking a 15-year sentence. Brückner is currently serving a seven-year prison term for a different rape conviction.

Christian Brückner has been a person of interest in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, who vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007. Despite extensive investigations, McCann has never been found, and German prosecutors believe she is no longer alive.

Brückner was identified as a suspect in the McCann case in 2020, following years of living between Portugal and Germany. His recent trial in Braunschweig, Germany, was unrelated to the McCann case but garnered significant media attention due to his status as a suspect.