Rape trial against Maddie suspect: Recusal motion against judge
On Wednesday, the court declared that there was no longer a pressing suspicion of a crime against the defendant regarding the alleged sexual offenses. The arrest warrant against Christian B. was therefore lifted. However, B., who is currently in prison due to a different conviction, will remain in custody.
B. has been in court in Braunschweig since February. He is accused of sexually assaulting three women during burglaries and similar objects in Portugal. In addition, he is accused of performing sexual acts in front of two ten and eleven-year-old girls at a beach and a playground, which the prosecution considers to be sexual abuse. All acts are said to have occurred between 2000 and 2017.
The defense raised significant doubts about the prosecution's evidence presentation and the credibility of witness statements. At their request, the arrest warrant was lifted.
The prosecution fears that the criminal chamber has already formed a definitive opinion on the guilt issue, which cannot be shaken by the remaining evidence collection. The court's decision on Wednesday, which lifted the arrest warrant, will also be appealed by the prosecution.
If the application is admissible, the responsible chamber will decide on the issue of bias, the court announced. This should happen before the next hearing on August 5.
German investigators report that B. had previously stayed regularly in the Algarve in Portugal to take on odd jobs and break into vacation homes and hotels. He is also suspected of committing sexual crimes there. B. lived in Braunschweig at one point, which is why the Braunschweig court is responsible for him.
The Braunschweig prosecutor's office also considers B. a suspect in the case of the 2007 disappearance of Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese holiday apartment. The prosecution has not yet brought charges against him, but he is a suspect. Madeleine disappeared while her parents were having dinner at a nearby restaurant. Despite extensive searches and numerous appeals from her parents, the case was never solved, and Madeleine remains missing.
- Despite the court's rejection of a pressing suspicion against Christian B. for the alleged sexual offenses, the Braunschweig prosecutor's office continues to consider him a suspect in the 2007 disappearance of Maddie in Portugal.
- The public prosecutor's office in Portugal is expected to appeal the court's decision to lift the arrest warrant against B., who is currently a suspect in Maddie's disappearance.
- During the rape trial in Braunschweig, the defense raised significant doubts about the prosecution's evidence and the credibility of witness statements, which led to the dismissal of the pressing suspicion.
- B., the primary suspect in Maddie's disappearance, was previously residing in Braunschweig and is now being held in prison for a different conviction, despite the judge's ruling to lift the arrest warrant related to the sexual offense charges.
- In their investigation into B., German investigators uncovered his history of staying regularly in the Algarve, Portugal, where he is also suspected of committing sexual crimes against women.
