Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner 'should be jailed for 15 years', court told

German prosecutors have called for a 15-year prison sentence and a sexual offences conviction for a man who is also separately under investigation in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. The 47-year-old German national, identified by local media as Christian Brueckner, is on trial at the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany for alleged offences committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Closing arguments in the trial, which began in February, started on Wednesday. Prosecutor Ute Lindemann argued that he should be convicted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, and should be kept in preventive detention after serving a 15-year sentence, according to German news agency dpa.

Lindemann said he should be acquitted of a third count of rape. The defence is expected to present its case on Monday, with a verdict potentially following on Tuesday.

The suspect has not been charged in the McCann case, where he is under investigation on suspicion of murder. He spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance in 2007. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance. He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape committed in Portugal in 2005.

Brueckner’s lawyer said in February that his client would not respond to the charges, but that he expected an acquittal. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system and there is no obligation for defendants to respond.

In July, the court lifted an arrest warrant in the cases at stake in the current trial, citing a lack of “urgent suspicion” against the defendant. However, he has remained behind bars because of the sentence he is currently serving.