Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner has had his trial suspended after his lawyer claimed a judge had called for the assassination of a president.
Brueckner is accused of three rapes and two sex assaults, which are not related to Maddie - but remains a prime suspect behind the 2007 disappearance.
During a rant his lawyer, Dr Friedrich Fülscher alleged that one of the lay-judges was biased and claimed she had called for the assassination of a president on social media.
He said the woman had written “kill the b*****d now” and "kill the devil", in reference to former Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro.
A court case has been suspended after Madeleine McCann prime suspect's lawyer claimed a judge had called for the assassination of a presidentReutersAs Germany does not use a jury system, the case is being heard at Braunschweig regional court in front of a panel of five judges.
Fülscher went on to suggest the judge in question was unfit to sit on the case.
Judge Christina Engelmann ruled the lay judge could not preside over the case due to the posts and the hearing was to be adjourned.
Brueckner is on trial for the suspected rape of three women and twice sexually molesting children in Portugal.
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Among the charges is the rape of a woman in her 70s in her home in the Algarve and the rape of sexual assault of a teenage girl.
He also faces allegations that he raped a young woman, at knifepoint in her home, in 2004 - an act he is accused of recording on video.
The court also heard that he masturbated in front of a girl at a playground in Messines in June 2017 and faces claims he did the same in front of another girl, on Salema beach, Portugal, in April 2007.
Brueckner is already in German prison for raping a woman in the part of Portugal's Algarve region where three-year-old Madeleine went missing.
Christian Brueckner arrives with his lawyers Dennis Bock and Friedrich Fuelscher for the start of his trial in Germany
Reuters
Brueckner has denied being involved in McCann's disappearance in 2007 and has not been charged with any crime related to it.
He has been pictured the first time since 2020 when he was spotted coming out of a hospital in shackles after being assaulted in prison.
Defendants in Germany have the right to obscure their faces, however Brueckner chose not to.
Ahead of his sex crimes trial, he mocked investigators and slammed the case as "ridiculous".