The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007 has been charged in Germany with several unrelated sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
Prosecutors in Germany's Braunschweig have charged convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner, a 45-year-old German man, with three counts of rape and two counts of child sexual abuse.
One of the charges relates to the alleged rape of a 20-year-old Irish woman in Praia da Rocha in 2004.
Another of the charges relates to the alleged rape of a woman in her 70s in her holiday apartment in Portugal at an unknown date between 2000 and 2006.
He is also accused of forcing a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity and of two other offences related to girls aged ten and 11.
Christian Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year sentence in northern Germany for raping a 72-year-old American tourist in Praia da Luz in 2005.
The investigation into Madeleine's disappearance is continuing irrespective of the charges brought, the prosecutor's office said.
Christian Brueckner was identified as a suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020, but has reportedly denied any involvement in the case.
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