Madeleine McCann suspect loses legal bid to have trial delayed
Prime suspect in Madeleine McCann case loses legal bid to have trial delayed
PA
The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann disappearance case has failed to have a legal bid to delay his trial approved.
Christian Brueckner attempted to push back his date in court by switching the German probe to another region.
The move, which would have moved the probe under a different jurisdiction, could have pushed the case back several months if not years.
However, the bid has been thrown out of court with investigators set to take the convicted 46-year-old paedophile and rapist to trial.
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“This is a relief for us,” Investigator Hans-Christian Wolters told The Sun.
“It is always nice when you get an affirmation of the way you had seen things.
“The Regional Court here had said Christian B’s last residence has been in Saxony-Anhalt, and therefore we were not the correct investigative jurisdiction for this case.
“We appealed to the Higher Regional Court.”
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Madeleine McCann was last seen in 2007
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The ruling comes after fears a key witness was on the verge of withdrawing evidence.
Brueckner continues to be probed by a team of prosecutors and detectives over the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007.
The youngster vanished from her room in Praia Da Luz, Portugal while on holiday with her family from Rothley, Leicestershire.
The German national has not been charged in the Madeleine McCann case which remains ongoing
PA
The German national has not been charged in the Madeleine McCann case which remains ongoing.
“The decision must be accepted at this point,” Brueckner's lawyer Friedrich Fülscher said of the ruling.
Wolters added: “What now needs to happen is the Regional Court must decide whether the degree of suspicion we have against Christian B is sufficient to hold a trial.
“If yes, they need to set the date for a hearing.”