The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann was seen on videos allegedly sexually assaulting a woman, and a girl who was tied up, a court has heard.
Christian B, whose last name is withheld due to privacy laws, is standing trial in Germany accused of three counts of rape and two counts of child sexual abuse.
The prosecution claims the offences took place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The allegations do not relate to the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine in 2007.
On day three of the trial, Braunschweig state court heard from key witness Manfred Seyferth, who claimed he once discovered videos of Christian B sexually assaulting two females.
Seyferth, 68, said he first met Christian B, now 47, when he had run out of fuel while travelling through Portugal years ago.
Christian B drove Seyferth’s friend, Michael, to and from a petrol station, and they then spent a few days together at Christan B’s house, the court heard.
Seyferth said that when Christian B was later jailed for stealing diesel, he went to his house with another friend, Helge Busching, with the intention of stealing fuel.
However, according to the witness, most of the diesel was gone – but they allegedly found items including a pistol and video camera.
Seyferth told the court that footage on the camera showed an older woman and a young girl, who was tied to a pillar in his house, being abused. He said he and Busching watched them for around two to three minutes.
Seyferth said he could not recall which year this allegedly happened.
He estimated the older woman’s age to be around 60 and could not remember details about her appearance. However, he recognised Christian B from his voice, he said.
In the second video, Christian B was with a young girl – who Seyferth estimated to be around 16 years old – and forced her to perform a sex act on him, according to the witness. The girl is alleged to have vomited afterwards.
Seyferth said he told Busching to throw the camera away but, unknown to him, his friend kept it.
Busching later called Scotland Yard and German authorities quizzed Seyferth for three days in Athens, the court heard.
Madeleine McCann. Pic: PA
During extensive questioning by the judge and the defendant’s lawyer, Seyferth repeatedly claimed to not remember crucial details. His testimony also diverged from statements given at a trial in 2019, which saw Christian B be convicted of rape.
As the court session went on, defence lawyer Friedrich Fulscher asked the witness: “Do you suffer from Alzheimer’s, or other diseases that affect memory?”
During the hearing, Christian B sat impassively, his face showing no emotion. He wore the same rumpled blue suit jacket with elbow patches that he had worn since the trial commenced three weeks earlier.
Christian B’s lawyer said the defendant “is using his right to remain silent”.
He said he expects his client to be acquitted, dismissing the evidence as “abysmal”.
There are no formal pleas in the German legal system, and defendants are not obliged to respond to the charges.
Madeleine McCann was three years old when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz, after they left her and her younger twin siblings asleep in their apartment while they went out to dinner with friends.
Christian B has not been charged in the Madeleine case and denies involvement, but has been under investigation for the last few years.
He is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.
