A court in the German city of Braunschweig has reportedly rejected a possible rape trial for Christian B after it deemed itself not to have jurisdiction over the case. The man, a convicted sex offender, was charged with a number of sex offences last year, believed to have taken place Portugal’s Algarve – the same region where Madeleine vanished in 2007 – between December 28 2000 and June 11 2017.
These allegations are unrelated to the case of the disappearance of Madeleine.
His lawyer, Friedrich Fulscher, said the court had thrown out the case after arguing that prosecutors in Brunswick, where it was being brought, have no jurisdiction over the man.
In a statement to the MailOnline Mr Fulscher said: “In its decision of April 19, 2023, the Regional Court of Braunschweig declared that it had no jurisdiction over the charge against Christian B and revoked the arrest warrant against him.
“The defense already pointed out during the preliminary proceedings that the Braunschweig judiciary should not have local jurisdiction.
“For reasons that are not understandable here, the public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig clung to its jurisdiction and thus risked being overturned by the Federal Court of Justice if it were opened.
“This is very questionable, in particular given the fact that a large number of witnesses would have had to appear in court again (on very incriminating issues) in the event of an annulment.
“The court’s decision also means that the Braunschweig judiciary is not responsible for the ‘Maddie’ case.”
This move means the arrest warrants for Christian B on the case are dismissed.
However, he will not be released from jail, where he is currently serving a seven-year sentence.
The man is not due to get out of prison until 2026, after a parole request was rejected.
Brunswick prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters hit back at the lawyer’s statement, and told the publication: “We have not yet been made aware of the court’s ruling. We don’t understand why Mr Fulscher has it ahead of us as these rulings should be given simultaneously to both parties.
“We are still trying to find out exactly what has happened and if it has gone against us we will appeal or have the case moved to another city of jurisdiction in Germany.”
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