EIt's an extremely rough start to the trial of Christian B., a German suspect in the Maddie case. On Friday morning, court officials in Braunschweig were struggling to cope with the rush of spectators and national and international press at the entrance that had been expected for weeks. Christian B. therefore enters the wood-paneled courtroom of the District Court somewhat late, at 9:38.

The 47-year-old defendant does not hide his face and gives a relatively casual impression considering the charges. B. wears a light blue linen jacket with a lilac shirt underneath. His public defender Friedrich Fülscher and three other defenders take a seat next to him and then immediately go on the attack.

“Kill the devil Bolsonaro”

The chairman gets to swear in two more people's judges and two deputy people's judges. But before the defendant's identity is revealed, the public defender interrupts the judge and files a complaint of bias against one of the volunteer judges.

Fülscher reads out some posts that the people's judge wrote on social media a few years ago. “Kill this devil Bolsonaro,” “Kill the Bastard” and “Call to all: Kill this devil,” a pediatric physiotherapist there wrote about former Brazilian president Bolsonaro on the platform formerly known as Twitter, now called X because the right-wing Brazilian politician is the future of the rainforest. deforestation.

The magistrate also wanted eternal condemnation for the dentist who killed a famous lion in Africa. The people's judge, who promoted his services mainly on Twitter, had also commented on Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka in 2019 (“Such a stupid, disgusting and stupid slut”, “CUTTING UP AND VOKE!!!!!!!!!”), but Fülscher does not mention these claims. The posts about Bolsonaro and the big-game hunter are “incompatible with the constitution's view of humanity,” Fülscher says, and “lack all distance and judgment.” Because of these statements, the woman should no longer be considered as a people's judge, the lawyer insists.

Criminal proceedings against the people's judge are under investigation

“It was surprising,” says the presiding judge, referring to the allegations, and adjourning the hearing for almost an hour. After B. is led back into the courtroom, the floor is given to the senior prosecutor. “In our opinion, the request is justified,” explains the prosecutor; The statements of the People's Judge were clearly outside the German legal system. It seems like an invitation to commit crimes. “This is a criminal offense, such a person cannot be a judge.”

The state prosecutor confirmed to the court's question that the initiation of criminal proceedings against the people's judge is now being investigated. The lay judge, sitting right next to the full-time judges, takes a deep breath at this moment. The well-groomed middle-aged woman imagined the morning as noticeably different. At the same time, many spectators and press representatives who traveled to the place from abroad also: The judge postpones the continuation of the hearing until next Friday.

Two counts of child sexual abuse and three counts of rape

It is possible that the personal details of the defendant will then be clarified with a replacement of the previous people's judge, and then the indictment will be read out to Christian B. The kidnapping and alleged murder of three-year-old Madeleine McCann from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007, which brought international attention to the proceedings, does not appear to play a role in the more than 100-page text.

In addition, there are five other charges, two cases of child sexual abuse and three cases of rape. The alleged rapes have parallels with the rape of a 72-year-old American woman, for which Christian B. was sentenced to seven years in prison by the Braunschweig District Court. However, in the case of two rapes, neither the victims nor the time of the crimes are known.

The prosecution can only rely on witnesses who claim to have seen video recordings of crimes. Christian B.'s defense attorneys seriously doubt the credibility of these witnesses. In the third rape case, at least the alleged victim is known. A woman from Ireland reported to authorities after Christian B. was first suspected in Maddie's case in 2020. In the case of the British girl, despite years of extensive research, authorities still do not have enough evidence to press charges. Conviction in the current process, however, may result in Christian B. being in custody, and a man who has already been punished several times will be ordered into preventive detention.