Madeleine McCann suspect should receive a 15-year prison term in unrelated trial, say prosecutors

German prosecutors have called for a 15-year prison sentence for a man who is also under investigation over the disappearance Madeleine McCann

Suspect Christian Bruckner, pictured in 2018 when he was arrested in Italy for drug trafficking (ITALIAN CARABINIERI PRESS OFFICE)

A suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann should receive a 15-year prison sentence, say German prosecutors who want him convicted of four sexual offences in an unrelated trial.

Christian Brueckner has been on trial in Germany since February charged with three counts of rape and two counts of sexual abuse. The offences are alleged to have taken place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

The allegations are not related to the McCann case, in which he is under investigation on suspicion of murder. He has not been charged and has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

At the Braunschweig state court in northern Germany this week, closing arguments were opened for the ongoing trial.

Prosecutor Ute Lindemann argued that he should be convicted of two counts of rape and two of sexual abuse, and should be kept in preventive detention after he has served a 15-year sentence, German news agency dpa reported.

Lindemann said he should be acquitted of a third count of rape.

The defence is expected to make its case on Monday, and a verdict could follow on Tuesday.

Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.

Brueckner's lawyer said in February that his client wouldn't respond to the charges, but that he expected an acquittal. There are no formal pleas in the German legal system and there is no obligation for defendants to respond.

In July, the court lifted an arrest warrant in the cases at stake in the current trial, citing a lack of “urgent suspicion” against the defendant. But he has remained behind bars because of the sentence he is currently serving.