Christian Brückner, who is serving a seven-year sentence for rape, was acquitted by the district court in Braunschweig, northern Germany, of three separate charges of aggravated rape and two of sexual abuse of children in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.
He is due for release by September 2025 at the latest, after which he would be free to leave Germany.
The verdict could prove crucial to further investigations in the case of Madeleine. Prosecutors in Braunschweig have said they will immediately appeal, including calling for a retrial, having repeatedly claimed judges in the case were biased.
A convicted rapist and paedophile, Brückner was formally named in June 2020 as the main suspect in the disappearance 17 years ago of Madeleine from the resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve, where she was on holiday with her family. No charges have been brought and he denies any involvement.
Braunschweig's chief prosecutor, Hans Christian Wolters, has repeatedly stated investigators' belief in Brückner's responsibility and said the investigation, in which Brückner is under suspicion of murder, continued. Prosecutors have cited "concrete evidence" but are yet to state what that is.
Brückner's connection to the McCann investigation was touched on repeatedly throughout the trial, which concluded yesterday. His lawyer, Friedrich Fülscher, said the McCann case had "hung like a fog" over the trial.
Brückner, who showed no emotion as the verdict was announced, was acquitted by three professional judges and two lay judges.
The main judge, Uta Engemann, delivered a lengthy statement explaining the decision to acquit that criticised German prosecutors for naming him in connection to the McCann case.
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