Regional court - After break: Trial against Christian B. continues
The trial against Christian B. in relation to five sexual offenses is at a decisive phase and will be resumed at the court on Friday after a break.
The 47-year-old German has been in court since February, as he is accused of three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children. The proceedings have attracted significant attention due to the fact that the defendant is also a suspect in the case of the 2007 disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese holiday complex. The McCann case is not part of the current trial, and the presumption of innocence applies.
In the coming days, the chamber is expected to make a decision regarding the arrest warrant against the repeatedly convicted sexual offender. In order to request an interim ruling from the chamber, the defense has filed a motion. "The further the evidence collection has progressed, the stricter the requirements for accepting the urgent suspicion of a crime become," said defense attorney Friedrich Fülscher. According to his view, the arrest warrant can no longer have a validity based on the current progress of the evidence collection.
At the onset of the trial, Fülscher had announced that his client was in his opinion innocent of all charges. Given the current progress of the evidence collection, the attorney sees himself confirmed in his position. In the event of the revocation of the arrest warrant, from the defense's perspective, this would indicate a later acquittal. When exactly the court will express itself on the motion is still open.
The content of the evidence program to be presented at the court on Friday could not be commented on by the Braunschweig Regional Court in advance. However, it is expected to be a short court day, as the proceedings are scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM and the Braunschweig Court Building is usually closed by 1:00 PM on Fridays.
- Christian B., the suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, is currently facing trial in Germany for five sexual offenses, including three rapes and two cases of sexual abuse of children.
- The Lower Saxony Regional Court in Braunschweig is presiding over the processes, with Fülscher serving as the defense attorney for the 47-year-old German.
- Fülscher argued that the arrest warrant against his client should no longer be valid due to the stricter requirements for accepting the urgent suspicion of a crime as evidence collection progresses.
- The trial against Christian B. has been ongoing since February and has garnered significant attention, given his connection to the high-profile McCann case.
- Christain B. was previously convicted of several sexual offenses and is currently in custody in relation to these charges, though the outcome of the current trial remains uncertain.
