Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
A GERMAN court has quashed an arrest warrant that was issued for Madeleine Mccann suspect Christian Brueckner for a series of alleged sexual assaults and rapes.
It means the paedophile and rapist, who is currently on trial for said crimes, could be freed within months.
A judge at Braunschweig Court agreed with Brueckner’s defence that there was not enough evidence to keep him behind bars for five separate sex offences.
READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Remote village where Brueckner lived in months after Maddie vanished
Ute Engemann believes that the evidence in the case of three rapes and two child abuse cases is not strong enough.
This is despite the German expat being caught exposing himself to a group of children in Portugal in 2017.
This afternoon a press release was issued by the court announcing that the warrant had been quashed.
The document says that ‘the Chamber cancels the arrest warrant.’
It adds: “In proceedings 2 KLs 213 Js 52790/18 (15/22) in connection with five acts against sexual self-determination, the Chamber revoked the arrest warrant at the request of the Defence because the Chamber denies an urgent suspicion of all charges.”
The move is almost certain to be appealed and will cause huge controversy.
Today one of the witnesses Helge Busching told the Olive Press: “This makes a total mockery of German justice.
“It’s taken years off my life and now they want to set this sick man free?”
German Busching, who lived for many years in Spain and Portugal, had helped to convict Brueckner of the rape of an American pensioner Diana Menkes, in 2005.
The seven-year sentence comes to an end next year but he could be freed earlier. Busching spent three years in witness protection.
In that case, in Praia da Luz, where Madeleine went missing in 2007, police found a hair in the 71-year-old victim’s bedroom.
The hair, which had been kept in a crime storage box, matched Brucekner’s DNA.
She had been sadistically beaten and raped during a three hour ordeal which he filmed.
The lawyer of Irish rape victim Hazel Behan described the court’s decision today as a ‘very bad signal’. Hazel has declined to comment so far.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters is away on a three-week holiday and is unavailable for comment.
It is likely that a quick decision will now be made on whether to prosecute Brueckner over the abduction of Madeleine McCann.
This is despite prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters indicating to the Olive Press that a trial wouldn’t be until next year.
The court last week confirmed Brueckner’s legal team had applied to get the arrest warrant overturned.
His lawyer Friedrich Fulscher said he could soon be released from prison if it proved successful.
“If it is overturned and he is ultimately acquitted, he would be released in spring next year at the latest,” he told Sky News.
He added: “I am sure this will be granted. I can’t imagine it any other way.
“After the evidence had been taken, not a single accusation had been substantiated in such a way that one can speak of a suspicion of an offence.”
