Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B cleared of unrelated sex attacks
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.
Madeleine McCann vanished in Portugal in 2007. Pic: PA
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.
Read more:
Madeleine suspect’s lawyer accuses ‘biased prosecutors’
Christian B ‘boasted of Portugal abduction’
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.
Storm Shadow cruise missiles made in the UK and donated to Ukraine have once again been used to strike targets inside Russia.
The long-range weapons – which cost roughly £2m each – have been used to devastating effect in the Black Sea, sinking or damaging several Russian ships, and now against a chemical plant.
Last year, Ukraine’s allies lifted restrictions on Storm Shadows and other long-range missiles, meaning Kyiv’s military can use them against targets across the border.
Follow latest: Storm Shadow missiles used in ‘massive’ attack on Russia
A Storm Shadow missile system. Pic: Gary Dawson/Shutterstock
What are Storm Shadow missiles?
Storm Shadows are cruise missiles developed by the UK and France in the 1990s.
Launched from aircraft, they have a range more than 155 miles, manufacturer MBDA says, and can travel at speeds exceeding 600mph.
The missiles can be used with high precision for deep strikes while evading detection, the manufacturer says.
They have been used by the RAF and French air force and in the Gulf, Iraq and Libya, and more recently have been used by Ukrainian forces.
What sets them apart from some other projectiles is they use terrain mapping to navigate to their target, rather than relying just on GPS, military analyst Sean Bell says.
A Tornado GR4 with Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Pic: Crown copyright
How have they been used in Ukraine?
Back in May 2023, the UK government announced it would provide Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles – the first country to do so.
Since then they have been used by Kyiv’s defenders to strike Russian targets inside Ukraine and also inside Russia.
Read more:
Putin-Trump meeting in doubt
‘Putin is afraid,’ says Zelenskyy
While operational details of their use do not always emerge, it has been reported Storm Shadows have been used against targets including military headquarters and ships.
Storm Shadows can likely be operated entirely from within Ukraine, though probably with the assistance of intelligence gathered by Western surveillance planes over international waters.
A police officer has been injured after a night of violent protests outside an asylum hotel in Dublin – with six arrests made.
Bricks were thrown and fireworks were discharged outside the Citywest Hotel – with glass bottles used as missiles and a police van set on fire.
A Garda helicopter was also targeted with lasers, and the police service says some of those on the streets were seen carrying garden forks.
Pic: PA
Pic: PA
Commissioner Justin Kelly added: “This was obviously not a peaceful protest. The actions this evening can only be described as thuggery. This was a mob intent on violence.
“We will now begin the process of identifying those who committed crimes and we will bring those involved in this violence to justice.”
It is the second night of demonstrations after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back – and water cannon was deployed at the scene.
A line of officers was preventing the protesters from approaching the hotel.
Police officers block protesters outside the hotel. Pic: PA
‘Those involved will be brought to justice’
Ireland’s premier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, paid tribute to the officers who were on the frontline of the protests.
“There can be no justification for the vile abuse against them, or the attempted assaults and attacks on members of the force that will shock all right-thinking people,” he said.
Justice minister Jim O’Callaghan said those involved in the violence will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
‘No excuse’ for violence
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.”
He said attacks on officers would “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed.”
The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
A police van has been set on fire and missiles have been thrown at officers as protesters gathered outside a hotel used to house asylum seekers in Dublin.
It is the second night of demonstrations outside the Citywest Hotel after an alleged sexual assault in its vicinity in the early hours of Monday morning.
A large crowd has gathered in the area and members of the Garda’s public order unit have been deployed.
Footage from the scene showed a Garda vehicle on fire as well as several protesters displaying Irish flags.
Many protesters carried Republic of Ireland flags
Some of the crowd threw stones and other missiles at the public order officers as they moved the protesters back.
A Garda helicopter hovered overhead and a water cannon was deployed on the scene.
Ireland’s justice minister, Jim O’Callaghan, said those involved will be brought to justice.
“The scenes of public disorder we have witnessed at Citywest tonight must be condemned,” he said.
“People threw missiles at Gardai, threw fireworks at them and set a Garda vehicle on fire.
“This is unacceptable and will result in a forceful response from the Gardai.
“Those involved will be brought to justice.”
The minister said a man had been arrested and had appeared in court in relation to the alleged assault in the vicinity of the hotel.
He added: “While I am not in a position to comment any further on this criminal investigation, I have been advised that there is no ongoing threat to public safety in the area.
He said attacks on gardai will “not be tolerated”, adding: “Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy. Violence is not.
“There is no excuse for the scenes we have witnessed tonight.”
It was the second night of protest outside the hotel, which is being used as state accommodation for people seeking international protection. The demonstration on Monday night passed without a significant incident.
It comes two years after anti-immigrant demonstrators triggered a major riot in the centre of Dublin after three young children were stabbed.
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.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024