Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B cleared of unrelated sex attacks

Published

1 year ago

October 8, 2024

admin

The suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has been cleared of a string of sex attacks in Portugal, unrelated to the missing British toddler.

Christian B, as he is known under privacy laws, had denied three rapes and the sex abuse of two young girls while he was living on the Algarve coast.

During a trial that began in February, chief prosecutor Ute Lindemann branded the German drifter a “sadistic psychopath” and urged the judge to jail him for 15 years.

She also said he was so dangerous – with previous convictions for rape, child sex abuse, theft and fraud – he should be held in preventive detention after serving his sentence.

But his own lawyer said he was put on trial for the sex crimes this year only because he was the suspect for the abduction of Madeleine, who vanished from her family’s rented holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.

In his closing speech this week, defence lawyer Friedrich Fulscher said: “This story will teach us what terrible consequences it can have when the investigating officers of the public prosecutor’s office lose the necessary emotional distance from a case, and this attitude is combined disastrously with amateur investigations by a police authority.”

He said Christian B should never have been charged with the sex crimes.

Addressing the prosecutor directly, he added: “Your decision (to prosecute) would have been different if the accused had not been Christian B, the man to whom you also want to attribute an offence which has attracted the attention of the world public and which lay like a fog over these proceedings.”

Christian B, who moved between his native Germany and Portugal from the 1990s until his arrest and deportation in 2017, has been the main suspect for Madeleine’s disappearance for at least seven years.

Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor in charge of the Madeleine investigation, has said in the past that he believes Christian B abducted the three-year-old and that she is dead.

But the 47-year-old suspect, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of an elderly American woman in Portugal, has not been charged over Madeleine and denies any involvement in her disappearance.

The current trial in Braunschweig, Lower Saxony, has been held on intermittent days over the past eight months.

The main charge against Christian B was the rape of Irish holiday worker Hazel Behan in her room in the resort of Praia da Rocha in 2005. She has waived her right to anonymity.

Ms Behan was raped several times and whipped by a masked intruder brandishing a knife, in a prolonged ordeal that bore similar horrific hallmarks to the rape for which Christian B is in jail now, said the prosecutor.

But his lawyer said Ms Behan’s description of her attacker did not match Christian B’s, particularly a cross-like mark she said she saw on his right thigh, which he says he does not have.

Ms Behan’s belief that Christian B was her attacker may have sprung from the influence of media reports about his rape conviction, said Mr Fulscher.

He accused two main prosecution witnesses, former friends Helge Busching and Manfred Seyferth, of lying about video tapes they claimed to have seen allegedly showing Christian B raping an elderly woman and a girl of about 14 in his rented home in Portugal. The video tapes didn’t exist, he said.

Christian B was also charged with grabbing the wrist of a 10-year-old girl and exposing himself to her on an Algarve beach and masturbating in front of another young girl during a festival in a hillside village above the coast.

The five sex crimes were said to have been committed between 2000 and 2017.

With this trial over, the Braunschweig prosecutor’s office will be under pressure to refocus on its Madeleine investigation and decide whether to charge Christian B over her disappearance.

UK

England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

Published

5 hours ago

December 6, 2025

admin

England and Scotland fans discover where their opening World Cup games will be played

England and Scotland fans have found out where their World Cup group games will be played when the tournament kicks off in June.

England, who are in Group L, will begin their tournament against Croatia in Dallas at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 17 June. They will then go on to face Ghana in Boston at 4pm EST (9pm BST) on 23 June and Panama in New Jersey, New York, at 5pm EST (10pm BST) on 27 June.

Scotland are in Group C, and their first match will be against Haiti in Boston at 9pm EST on 13 June (2am GMT the following morning).

They will go up against Morocco also in Boston at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 19 June and then Brazil in Miami at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on 24 June.

Fans are expected to rush to sort their travel and accommodation plans now that they know where and when the matches take place.

Wales and Northern Ireland have yet to find out if they will qualify.

Wales must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they beat these play-off opponents, they will secure their place in Group B alongside Canada, Qatar and Switzerland.

However, Northern Ireland will also be vying to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the latest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow us on WhatsApp and subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

UK

World Cup 2026 – who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Published

17 hours ago

December 6, 2025

admin

World Cup 2026 - who England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will play

Scotland and England now know who they will face in the group stage of the next summer’s world cup.

But the fates of Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales won’t be determined until they compete in pre-tournament play-off matches in March.

England are in Group L along with Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Their first match will be against Croatia, who beat them in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Scotland’s first match will be against Haiti, in Group C.

Brazil and Morocco are the other Group C teams – both countries were also in the same opening group as Scotland in the 1998 World Cup in France.

Wales have yet to find out if they will qualify as they must face a play-off against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff, and then either Italy or Northern Ireland, if they are victorious.

If they can overcome these play-off opponents then they will secure their place in Group B along with Canada, Qatar and Switzerland. But Northern Ireland will also be vying and hoping to guarantee their spot in the same group if they can beat Italy and then either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The Republic of Ireland also need to get through the play-offs first and are paired against the Czech Republic for their semi-final. Should Ireland win that match, they will need to beat either North Macedonia or Denmark to get to the finals where an opening group containing joint hosts Mexico, South Africa and South Korea awaits.

UK

Crafted for one man – this was a World Cup draw like no other

Published

17 hours ago

December 6, 2025

admin

Crafted for one man - this was a World Cup draw like no other

This was a World Cup draw like no other. Crafted less for the teams but for one man.

The choice of venue. The creation of a new trophy. The closing music act.

Donald Trump was lavished with the adulation he craves by FIFA President Gianni Infantino and feels others unfairly deny him.

Knowing how much being overlooked by the Nobel Committee hurt the US president, there was Mr Infantino with FIFA’s newly-created Peace Prize to hand over. And a medal for Mr Trump to wear.

“This is truly one of the great honours of my life,” he said. “And beyond awards, Gianni and I were discussing this. We saved millions and millions of lives.”

This was all on the stage in front of an audience who turned up to find out who they will be playing at the World Cup.

England handed an undaunting route past Croatia, Panama and Ghana. Scotland paired with newcomers Haiti before tricky reunions from their last men’s World Cup in 1998 against Brazil and Morocco.

But the show before the draw could even begin – presided over by Rio Ferdinand – took almost as long as a football match, at 87 minutes after the noon kick-off was delayed.

There was a walk of self-promotion to complete – “I guess they have to wait” – before taking his seat in the Kennedy Center. Or the Trump Kennedy Center as the president takes to calling the venue picked 1.5 miles from the White House.

“It was falling apart,” he said, delaying the walk into the auditorium. “And now it’s, it’s pretty much back.”

Mr Infantino could only watch on, beaming, at his friend.

“We had a dead country,” Mr Trump went on, “and now we have the hottest country anywhere in the world”.

There was the awkwardness of being reminded, before receiving the peace accolade, about threats to launch military strikes on Venezuela to stop the drugs trade.

“I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming,” he swatted away the question. “Which nobody’s ever done before. But I want to really save lives. I don’t need prizes.”

But FIFA knew how much he wanted more gold for the collection with the prize.

More on this story:
What draw means for England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland

And for all the mockery and disdain targeted at FIFA, how many sports would relish having the US president spend several hours attending a procedural event determining the placing of teams in groups for a tournament?

How many would dish out the same flattery to secure direct lines to the leader of the nation staging their championship?

Many have benefited from Mr Trump’s stardust and swagger being attached to this spectacle.

Even Port Vale’s most famous fan – Robbie Williams – secured a walk-on role, exceeding his profile this side of the Pond.

And the Village People are reaping the rewards of becoming the unlikeliest of Trump hype acts.

The festivities ended with eyes fixed back up to the presidential seating and the YMCA dance being performed.

This was an afternoon that dispelled any pretence that FIFA keeps a distance from politics. It was unapologetically political. But few speak out in the FIFA world as the redistributed wealth keeps rolling back in their direction.

It would be easy to forget this isn’t entirely America’s World Cup. They’re sharing hosting with Canada and Mexico.

And eventually the spotlight was ceded to their leaders – very briefly – as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney drew out their countries’ names.

But it did live up to FIFA’s mantra that football can unite the world.

The neighbours were brought together here on a snowy day in Washington. And tensions – often stoked by Mr Trump with Canada and Mexico – thawed in the name of football.