German suspect in Maddie case acquitted on new charges

Christian B., a German citizen involved in the high-profile case of the disappearance of the young British girl Maddie in 2007, appeared before a court in Brunswick in a case concerning rape and pedophilia. He was accused of three sexual assaults and two instances of child exploitation in Portugal from 2000 to 2017. The court's verdict: not guilty.

Christian B., the man suspected of involvement in the mysterious kidnapping of three-year-old Madeleine McCann from the UK's Portuguese Algarve coast, appeared before the court in Brunswick in another case. He was accused of committing a series of sexual crimes.

Investigators suspected him of committing three rapes in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. He was also set to answer for the sexual abuse of two minors.

The Brunswick court found the 47-year-old German not guilty of these crimes. Judge Uta Engemann, announcing the verdict on Tuesday, stated that Christian B. cannot be convicted of these acts he was accused of. "The rule of law can and must endure this," the judge commented.

However, finding the man not guilty does not mean he is clean as a whistle. During the trial, a medical expert ruled that the 47-year-old posed an extreme danger.

Christian B. has a history of multiple convictions for sexual offenses. He is currently serving a prison sentence for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in Portugal. The verdict in this case was passed in Brunswick in 2019.

The case of little Maddie, who disappeared from a hotel room in the tourist town on the Algarve coast in Portugal in 2007, is being handled by another court. Still, investigators from Brunswick consider Christian B.'s involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the girl to be highly probable.

The German prosecutor's office determined that the suspect spent a lot of time in that region of Portugal. He stayed on the Algarve coast for many years, working odd jobs. He has not only the rape, for which he is serving a prison sentence but also numerous burglaries of resorts and hotels on his record.

Seventeen years after the mysterious disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the truth about those events remains unknown. Suspect Christian B. may soon be released, as in 2025, he will complete his seven-year prison sentence for the rape of the 72-year-old at Oldenburg prison.