Christian Brückner, who has been identified as a prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, is currently on trial for five sex offence charges unrelated to the McCann case. One of his accusers is Hazel Behan, who is alleging that Brückner raped her in a Portugal apartment in 2004. She described a harrowing ordeal in which she was raped three times, tied up, whipped and filmed by her attacker. Brückner denies all charges against him.
The German investigators have pinpointed Brückner as the man responsible for Madeleine’s abduction in Portugal’s Algarve region in 2007. However, Brückner has not been charged in relation to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. Meanwhile, Brückner is currently on trial for a series of sex offences that took place between 2000 and 2017.
Brückner’s defence team has previously noted that the case is based on shaky foundations and is contesting the charges. Hazel Behan waived her anonymity to give strong evidence against Brückner. Behan told the court that she had become pregnant with her son after being raped in 2004, without which she would not be here today since the attack had a profound impact on her life, and she continues to take medication for panic attacks.
Brückner’s trial is taking place in Lower Saxony’s Braunschweig court, where Behan recalled the callous treatment she encountered while being handled by Portuguese police in the aftermath of the attack. She said that officers threw some of her belongings at her before they chatted to each other while one of them put his feet on the desk. The trial continues. If you have experienced anything similar, you can find details of help and support at BBC Action Line
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