Germany/Portugal - Christian Brueckner, 27 @ time of 1st crime (2004), charged with sexual assault crimes, Praia de Rocha, Portugal. #2

[Davieson]

It isn't intended to.
The trial is all about five separate sexual cases, not one of which has any relevance to the MM disappearance which is a different case entirely.

Unfortunately the media treats them as one and the same and shoehorns MM reference into CB articles at every opportunity.
I recall that some commentators on here also consider that a successful outcome of this cases will influence any MM trial.

 

[Davieson]

You are absolutely correct that there is far too much interference in the conduct of this case and the reason for that is self explanatory.

The 2019 rape trial which found CB guilty of aggravated rape was conducted with decorum because no-one knew of CB's association with another case.

Now that CB's cover has been blown, not even his lawyer is immune from being side-tracked. FF's day job of defending him against the five horrible cases he presently stands accused of could easily be compromised should he be beguiled into straying into territory which is nothing at all to do with those five indictments but something else entirely.

There is a case to be made that a prerequisite for an accused person receiving a fair trial is an adequate defence team giving full concentration to the matter in hand. At the moment I'm not sure they are doing that adequately.

I'm quite sure that his team are quite capable of multi tasking.

 

[Anxala]

I get the feeling this trial isn't going to tell us anything about the MM case.

It doesn't look like it will which is probably telling in itself, in that there's nothing to tell that that will throw any light on anything MM-related. The only veguely interesting thing will be to see if the 'Buchs' play any part in this trial, to see what validity, if any, they have.

 

[Monic]

Is Björn R also charged as a witness?

 

[RichardKimble]

Unfortunately the media treats them as one and the same and shoehorns MM reference into CB articles at every opportunity.
I recall that some commentators on here also consider that a successful outcome of this cases will influence any MM trial.

We haven't had the nonsense lately that any MM related trial is to follow close behind, in this one the judge has asked the teams to keep dates open in Oct or is it up to Oct.

From the bild article posted by @Hygge ,

The court must now decide on the applications. The trial will take place on the 3rd. April and should last until the end of June. As a precaution, Judge Uta Inse Engemann asked all parties involved to name free dates by the end of October. »

 

[RichardKimble]

Unfortunately the media treats them as one and the same and shoehorns MM reference into CB articles at every opportunity.
I recall that some commentators on here also consider that a successful outcome of this cases will influence any MM trial.

Without MM there wouldn't be the cases it could be argued, ergo without MM the cases wouldn't get much attention, in a way MM is the case that keeps giving.

 

[Denis R Tandib]

Is Björn R also charged as a witness?

I wondered the same about BP.

 

[Davieson]

Without MM there wouldn't be the cases it could be argued, ergo without MM the cases wouldn't get much attention, in a way MM is the case that keeps giving.

Sequence of events is interesting.
If CB's name hadn't been mentioned to Grange & passed on the BKA, there is no way that BKA would have linked to the DM rape case as PJ hadn't done so. Indeed it is unclear how they did that anyway unless they trawled criminal records in order to implicate CB in unsolved crimes
Without DM's trial and subsequent publicity because of CB being linked to MM, HB would not have come forward and the 3 current rape trial would likely not be taking place.

 

[Mex]

Unfortunately the media treats them as one and the same and shoehorns MM reference into CB articles at every opportunity.
I recall that some commentators on here also consider that a successful outcome of this cases will influence any MM trial.

CB will not be tried by the media which is nothing more than an irrelevance. The German court is the arbitrator here and certainly not organs such as the Sun or its German equivalent.
There are only five serious sexual offences on trial here.

 

[Mex]

Without MM there wouldn't be the cases it could be argued, ergo without MM the cases wouldn't get much attention, in a way MM is the case that keeps giving.

This may be true for four of the five present indictments CB faces.

As a result of CB's notoriety not being known until after the event, the trial for the aggravated rape of DM took place out of the limelight and without the attendant histrionics we have witnessed since the start of this one.

The exception to that is the alleged gross indecency act CB performed in a children's playground in 2017. He was arrested then and there and was extradited to Germany to answer charges in yet another child abuse case carried out in Germany. The Portuguese might well have caught up on making a case regarding CB's lewd behaviour in Messines, but were overtaken by events.
My opinion

Snip
The trial is expected to resume in a week's time after one of CB's lawyers, PM, told the BBC their client had instructed them to "kick out" the lay judge.
...

• Forcing an 11-year-old girl to watch a *** *** at a playground in Bartolomeu de Messines during a festival in 2017.

McCann suspect in German trial for unrelated sex offences

Christian Brückner faces five charges including rape attacks between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Mex]

Sequence of events is interesting.
If CB's name hadn't been mentioned to Grange & passed on the BKA, there is no way that BKA would have linked to the DM rape case as PJ hadn't done so. Indeed it is unclear how they did that anyway unless they trawled criminal records in order to implicate CB in unsolved crimes
Without DM's trial and subsequent publicity because of CB being linked to MM, HB would not have come forward and the 3 current rape trial would likely not be taking place.

I'm not sure if the German investigators were allowed access to Portuguese files or if the Portuguese did the trawl themselves, you are correct in saying that is where the information regarding the outrage perpetrated on DM's person emanated from.

Whether either or it was an example of competent and painstaking detective work in which information received from witnesses was traced to source.
The files and the evidence told DM's story.

So "implicating" a serial sex offender with an unsolved aggravated rape in which the evidence at trial confirmed guilt is a very good outcome indeed. Particularly as the result was to remove CB from the ability to cause harm for seven years.
My opinion

 

[mrjitty]

Sequence of events is interesting.
If CB's name hadn't been mentioned to Grange & passed on the BKA, there is no way that BKA would have linked to the DM rape case as PJ hadn't done so. Indeed it is unclear how they did that anyway unless they trawled criminal records in order to implicate CB in unsolved crimes
Without DM's trial and subsequent publicity because of CB being linked to MM, HB would not have come forward and the 3 current rape trial would likely not be taking place.

They had HeB's testimony about what was on the video tapes, so they likely did a review of cold rape cases in the area. That turned up the DM case, and the forensics on file were a match.

That happens a lot.

 

[johnlair]

They had HeB's testimony about what was on the video tapes, so they likely did a review of cold rape cases in the area. That turned up the DM case, and the forensics on file were a match.

It's all word of mouth tho, HeB is a criminal himself wasn't he involved in trafficking I know one of them was,
What's stopping the defence just saying there was no video HeB and the crew simply hold a grudge against Christian B... Am not saying that's the case but word of mouth doesn't mean a lot.

 

[Mex]

It's all word of mouth tho, HeB is a criminal himself wasn't he involved in trafficking I know one of them was,
What's stopping the defence just saying there was no video HeB and the crew simply hold a grudge against Christian B... Am not saying that's the case but word of mouth doesn't mean a lot.

The difficulty regarding the witness testimonies of those who turned the tables on CB by going to his house to rob the robber while he was under lock and key for fuel theft is that neither of the abused women have come forward voluntarily or were able to be traced.

The men and CB all operated comfortably for many years within the underbelly of whichever itinerant location in which they took up residence. They dealt in drugs among everything else and no doubt they used drugs too. People of loose character are the only ones who would have had the capability to get close enough to CB to be able to rob him and to know it was worthwhile to do so.

Interesting that his girlfriend was also there to clear out the property and may be able to confirm the alleged removal of some of the pornographic material.

So pointing out their criminality does not detract from their credibility. It only calls to mind the type of people being dealt with and the disgust they felt at CB's pornographic exploits. Some of which still do exist and which CB's legal team are beside themselves to have excluded from the evidence in these five trials.

 

[johnlair]

The difficulty regarding the witness testimonies of those who turned the tables on CB by going to his house to rob the robber while he was under lock and key for fuel theft is that neither of the abused women have come forward voluntarily or were able to be traced.

The men and CB all operated comfortably for many years within the underbelly of whichever itinerant location in which they took up residence. They dealt in drugs among everything else and no doubt they used drugs too. People of loose character are the only ones who would have had the capability to get close enough to CB to be able to rob him and to know it was worthwhile to do so.

Interesting that his girlfriend was also there to clear out the property and may be able to confirm the alleged removal of some of the pornographic material.

So pointing out their criminality does not detract from their credibility. It only calls to mind the type of people being dealt with and the disgust they felt at CB's pornographic exploits. Some of which still do exist and which CB's legal team are beside themselves to have excluded from the evidence in these five trials.

I thought it was just the 2 documents which was Christian Bs sick writings of the abduction of a child and the mother and rape torture and murder that followed which they claim is a fictional account... Horrible fiction at that however I've read some bad stuff by commercial writers like James Herbert in the book the Fog..
So it can be argued any way that these writings were simply that drafts at a fictional book... IMO... However I don't know what they contain only from what has been reported.
The credibility comes from the fact that like you say they operated in a gang with CB for a long time and then decided to turn the tables on him... Somewhat they say could be true and I'm sure it is but IMO they knew for a long time what sort of character he was and all this finding out later stuff is fabricated to make them look more Saint like than they actually are, am sure NF was a lot more involved in his activities than she makes out to be IMO Of course.
But it's word of mouth against word of mouth without any witnesses who were on the tapes or video tapes as evidence
The case against him is not looking so great especially when the first prosecution witness turns up drunk and can barely remember his name nevermind the details he gave in his statement and is then found to have been ringing the other witness before the hearing...
Word of mouth cases are rarely if not never even looked at in the UK a person has to be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt...I don't know how it is in Germany.
So despite my own personal opinions on him as I do believe he is guilty of a lot as are his accomplaces who have now turned the tables on him ... I don't think it's looking good so far.

Does anyone know if that Villa he used to stop at with the Dogs guarding it with NF has ever been searched. There's a massive plot of land directly across the road from it.

 

[Denis R Tandib]

It's all word of mouth tho, HeB is a criminal himself wasn't he involved in trafficking I know one of them was,
What's stopping the defence just saying there was no video HeB and the crew simply hold a grudge against Christian B... Am not saying that's the case but word of mouth doesn't mean a lot.

I agree that it’s flimsy.

I think it’s also confirmed by FF’s commentary and the trial so far.

In the DM case, there was HeB’s testimony, an unsolved rape in Portugal that matched key elements of the crime and a hair that removed any doubt.

Despite what commentators on this forum state, IMO, connecting the DM case to the current crimes also connects the forensic evidence from that trial which proves CB is a rapist.

Without the DM case, in their own right, I cannot see how a trial for the three current rape cases is possible.

As we have already seen, FF will try to discredit MS and HeB, and he will continue to prod the evidence from the DM case. Where would the prosecution be without this evidence?

 

[Denis R Tandib]

I thought it was just the 2 documents which was Christian Bs sick writings of the abduction of a child and the mother and rape torture and murder that followed which they claim is a fictional account... Horrible fiction at that however I've read some bad stuff by commercial writers like James Herbert in the book the Fog..
So it can be argued any way that these writings were simply that drafts at a fictional book... IMO... However I don't know what they contain only from what has been reported.
The credibility comes from the fact that like you say they operated in a gang with CB for a long time and then decided to turn the tables on him... Somewhat they say could be true and I'm sure it is but IMO they knew for a long time what sort of character he was and all this finding out later stuff is fabricated to make them look more Saint like than they actually are, am sure NF was a lot more involved in his activities than she makes out to be IMO Of course.
But it's word of mouth against word of mouth without any witnesses who were on the tapes or video tapes as evidence
The case against him is not looking so great especially when the first prosecution witness turns up drunk and can barely remember his name nevermind the details he gave in his statement and is then found to have been ringing the other witness before the hearing...
Word of mouth cases are rarely if not never even looked at in the UK a person has to be found guilty beyond reasonable doubt...I don't know how it is in Germany.
So despite my own personal opinions on him as I do believe he is guilty of a lot as are his accomplaces who have now turned the tables on him ... I don't think it's looking good so far.

Does anyone know if that Villa he used to stop at with the Dogs guarding it with NF has ever been searched. There's a massive plot of land directly across the road from it.

IIRC, the BKA have searched the propert in Foral. There was an article which said the when CB returned to Portugal in 2015/6, he was seen digging in the garden there.

 

[RichardKimble]

IIRC, the BKA have searched the propert in Foral. There was an article which said the when CB returned to Portugal in 2015/6, he was seen digging in the garden there.

Yet the Germans were more interested in the Reservoir.

 

[RichardKimble]

I agree that it’s flimsy.

I think it’s also confirmed by FF’s commentary and the trial so far.

In the DM case, there was HeB’s testimony, an unsolved rape in Portugal that matched key elements of the crime and a hair that removed any doubt.

Despite what commentators on this forum state, IMO, connecting the DM case to the current crimes also connects the forensic evidence from that trial which proves CB is a rapist.

Without the DM case, in their own right, I cannot see how a trial for the three current rape cases is possible.

As we have already seen, FF will try to discredit MS and HeB, and he will continue to prod the evidence from the DM case. Where would the prosecution be without this evidence?

Interestingly there was commentary at one stage of a partial fingerprint at the HaB attack crime scene, this as not been repeated.

 

[Mex]

Yet the Germans were more interested in the Reservoir.

I think we have to take one step at a time as far as unravelling CB's criminal past is concerned and concentrate on the alleged offences for which he has already been charged and is currently standing trial.
It is a convoluted process because it covers such a wide timescale and variety of crimes. But whatever, his proven predilection for committing sexual crime on women of all ages makes it imperative that the courts scrutinise the case against him and hear what his defence is.

Five serious charges for sexual offences is a lot to be going on with.

German justice is all about getting to the heart of the matter, it will be interesting to watch it in operation.