Rape trial - Christian B. comes to court in a wheelchair
Surprise in the Courtroom: In the rape trial against a suspect also under suspicion in the Maddie case, the defendant was driven in a wheelchair to the dock at the Brunswick Regional Court on Friday. The 47-year-old Christian B. wore handcuffs, ankle shackles, and a belt over his jacket in addition to the wheelchair. The unusual appearance in the Brunswick Regional Court was not commented on.
A security-related background is not known to us, said a court spokeswoman in response to an inquiry. And regarding the health condition of the defendant, we cannot provide any information. Defense attorney Philipp Marquart stated after the brief hearing that his client had complained of foot pain beforehand and had been treated. Further details were not available at first. The presiding judge wished for general good health in conclusion. Several trial days had been cancelled previously due to the illness of a judge.
Decision on the arrest warrant pending
The trial, which involved five serious sexual offenses, progressed as expected in the brief hearing. However, a decision from the court on the arrest warrant against the repeatedly convicted sexual offender is expected in the coming days. To request a standstill from the Criminal Chamber, the defense had filed a motion to revoke the arrest warrant a few days ago. According to the current progress of the evidence proceedings, the arrest warrant can no longer have a validity, defense attorney Friedrich Fülscher stated in the motion.
The native of Würzburg has been in court since February, as he is accused of three rapes and two cases of child sexual abuse. The proceedings attract great interest, however, primarily because the defendant is also under suspicion of murder in the case of the three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who went missing from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007. The McCann complex is not the subject of the current trial, and the presumption of innocence applies. Currently, B. is serving a seven-year sentence in Portugal for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in 2005.
An ophthalmologist is expected as a witness for the next trial date on Friday (5th July). The defense had requested a corresponding expert opinion to clarify the question of whether recognition of a perpetrator is possible solely based on eye color. In the case of an Irish woman who was raped in Portugal in 2004, the victim herself testified as a witness about "strikingly blue eyes." "His eyes, I believe, this man is the attacker," she told the court. The defense considers recognition based solely on eye color blue to be impossible.
- Despite being in a wheelchair and wearing additional restraints, the defendant, Christian B., attended his court date for the rape trial in the Brunswick Regional Court in Lower Saxony, Germany.
- The court spokeswoman, in response to inquiries, revealed that there's no known security-related background for the unusual appearance of Christian B. in a wheelchair, and she couldn't disclose any information about his health condition.
- As the rape trial against the repeatedly convicted sexual offender proceeded, the defense filed a motion to revoke the arrest warrant due to the current progress of the evidence proceedings.
- Christian B., a native of Würzburg, is currently serving a seven-year sentence in Portugal for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman in 2005 and is also under suspicion for the 2007 disappearance of Maddie in Portugal.
- An ophthalmologist is set to be a witness in the trial on July 5th to clarify if recognition of a perpetrator can be based solely on eye color, as the defense considers this impossible.
- The rape trial against Christian B. involves five serious sexual offenses and features high interest, primarily because of the Maddie case, but the presumption of innocence remains applicable.
