Latest news with #Braunschweig
The Sun
03-07-2025
- The Sun
Hopes for Madeleine McCann breakthrough as Brueckner could be kept in prison LONGER – giving cops vital time to nail him
MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian Brueckner could face three extra months behind bars after the woman who paid his fine asked for her money back. The mystery donor - an ex-cop who investigated the suspect - settled a £1,300 outstanding court fine allowing Brueckner, 48, to walk free in September. 6 6 But the former German FBI agent has now emailed prosecutors pleading she has made a 'mistake' - and begged for the funds to be returned to her. Officials are taking the request seriously and were last night looking at how the funds could be sent back. If they succeed it would secure crucial extra time for McCann investigators before their prime suspect walks free. Reports in Germany said: 'In an email to the Braunschweig Public Prosecutor's Office, the former BKA employee is now demanding repayment of the money. 'She stated that she was unaware that Christian B. had been convicted in previous cases, including forgery.' The ex-cop is said to have told officials: "I therefore wish to contest my declaration of intent to repay the payment and invalidate the legal transaction accordingly." The payment cleared a 2016 Helmstedt District Court fine for drunkenness in traffic and forgery of documents and a 2017 Braunschweig court levy for assault. Before the ex-cop paid the fine, convicted paedophile Breuckner had only been able to pay £210 of the total and faced being kept behind bars until late January. The fine-payer insists she had "never had personal contact with Christian B." Mystery female donor who paid £1,300 fine to free Madeleine McCann suspect Brueckner is former COP who investigated him Maddie prosecutors said it was investigating "the extent to which the payment received in the criminal case against Christian B. can actually be credited toward the fine imposed there." It stated that it had found evidence "that the payment was made by mistake." Brueckner will now walk free when his sentence for raping an American woman, 72, in Praia da Luz, in 2005, ends. He has been named publicly as the prime suspect over the May 3 2007 disappearance of Maddie, of Rothley, Leics., since 2020 but never been charged. He has used letters to deny the claims but has refused to answer police questions or provide an alibi. His phone was in Praia da Luz on the night Madeleine vanished and made a 30-minute call from the area. His Jaguar was re-registered into a name the day after the disappearance. A Sun investigation this year revealed bombshell new evidence - including Brueckner's obsession with snatching and abusing small, young, blonde girls. 6 6 6 We also placed him at key police locations of interest, including a lake where cops dug for evidence. And we showed evidence he was at the scene of an al-but-confession when he allegedly said Maddie 'did not scream,' in 2008. Our probe - aired on Channel 4 - revealed the existence of a hard-drive and laptop containing crucial picture evidence on the case. Police maintain they have physical evidence Maddie is dead - but no forensic links. German police have recently stressed the value UK authorities could provide by getting involved in the case again before Brueckner's release. He has refused to rule out leaving Germany and insisted he will go to ground on his release. If he travelled to a non-extradition country all hopes for McCann justice could disappear with him. Timeline of Maddie's disappearance May 3, 2007 Madeleine McCann disappears from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, sparking a massive police search and becoming one of the most famous missing persons cases in history. January 15, 2016 Neighbour reports a possible 'grave' at Brueckner's abandoned factory in East Germany. Cops find disturbing images on USB sticks and launch a full-scale search. February 16, 2016 Christian Brueckner is convicted for abusing a girl of five in a park after images found on his laptop. He was sentenced to 15-months behind bars but was already on the run by then. May 3, 2017 Around this time, Helge B calls an information hotline after watching a ten-year anniversary special on the disappearance of Madeleine McCann. He reports an alleged confession by Christian Brueckner. September 27, 2018 On-the-run Christian Brueckner is arrested over outstanding drugs claims in Italy. He is extradited to Germany the following year. December 16, 2019 Christian Brueckner was convicted, in Germany, for the 2005 rape of an American woman in Praia da Luz, Portugal, after his DNA was matched to a hair found on her bed. He was sentenced to seven years behind bars. June 4, 2020 German prosecutors reveal to the world they have a suspect in custody under investigation for the abduction of Madeleine McCann. For the first time they claim Madeleine is dead. German media later name him as Christian B (Christian Brueckner). June 23, 2023 In his first interview, witness Helge B alleges to German newspaper Bild that Christian Brueckner all-but-confessed the Madeleine abduction to him, by allegedly saying 'she didn't scream' as they talked about the case, at a music festival, in Spain. February 16, 2024 Brueckner goes on trial accused of none-McCann allegations of rape and sex assault, in Braunschweig, Germany. Prosecutors hope for a conviction to keep him behind bars permanently and lead to McCann charges. October 8, 2024 Brueckner was acquitted of all claims. Prosecutors launch an appeal, however. Decision pending. September 17, 2025 Date on which Christian Brueckner will be released from custody without action being taken. Prosecutors require an arrest warrant for a retrial over claims from last year - or over the McCann case. June 1, 2025 Police order a renewed search for clues in Praia Da Luz on the Algarve in Portugal. It lasts for just three days.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hamburg sign French attacker Rayan Philippe
Hamburg have today announced the signing of Rayan Philippe from Eintracht Braunschweig for a reported €2.5m. The 24-year-old French striker has signed a four-year contract with the newly promoted Bundesliga club. 'Rayan was a key performer for Braunschweig and played a big role in them staying up last season in particular,' said Stefan Kuntz, HSV's board member for sport. 'He's an extremely interesting player and we've closely followed his positive development. He's shown his strengths in the second division and we're now pleased that Rayan will take the next step in his career together with HSV as we both move into the Bundesliga and try to establish ourselves there.' Advertisement Philippe scored 13 goals and provided six assists in 34 league games for Eintracht Braunschweig last season as they finished in the relegation playoff. He then scored against Saarbrucken in the playoff to secure EBS's place in the 2. Bundesliga season for the 2025/26 campaign. 'I'm really happy about joining HSV and I look forward to getting to know my teammates and the staff,' added Philippe. 'I'm already excited about my first home game here after already experiencing the atmosphere at the Volksparkstadion. I want to get to work straight away to help the club achieve their goals. HSV have a rich history and are now back in the Bundesliga, which I'm really looking forward to experiencing. I want to show that this team and myself have the quality to survive and do well in this league.' GGFN | Daniel Pinder
Al Arabiya
01-07-2025
- Business
- Al Arabiya
German Court Suspends Diesel Scandal Trial of Former Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn
A German court has suspended proceedings in the trial of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who has been charged with fraud and market manipulation in connection with Volkswagen's use of rigged software that let millions of diesel-engine cars cheat on emissions tests. The regional court in Braunschweig on Tuesday cited an unspecified health issue that meant Winterkorn, 78, was not in a condition to face trial. The court said in a statement that it had provisionally terminated the proceedings. It said the health issue represented a temporary impediment and would continue to be reviewed with the help of an expert so that proceedings could resume if Winterkorn recovers. Winterkorn went on trial in September 2024, but the proceedings were suspended a few days later after Winterkorn had an accident. Germany's code of criminal procedure allows for a court to provisionally terminate proceedings if the absence of the indicted accused or some other personal impediment prevents the main hearing being held for a considerable time. Prosecutors say Winterkorn knew about the illegal software well before the US Environmental Protection Agency announced its discovery of the violation in September 2015. He resigned days later. He has said he learned about the practice only shortly before the announcement and earlier testified during civil proceedings that the allegations against him are 'not correct.' In May, four former Volkswagen managers were convicted of fraud, and two of them given prison sentences for their part in the manipulation of emissions controls. The former head of diesel development was sentenced to four and a half years in prison and the head of drive train electronics to two years and seven months by the court in Braunschweig. Two others received suspended sentences of 15 months and 10 months. The company has paid more than 33 billion in fines and compensation to vehicle owners. Two VW managers received prison sentences in the US. The former head of the company's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and a fine of 1.1 million euros (1.25 million). The sentence is still subject to appeal.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
German court suspends diesel scandal trial of former Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A German court has suspended proceedings in the trial of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who has been charged with fraud and market manipulation in connection with the automaker's use of rigged software that let millions of diesel-engine cars cheat on emissions tests. The regional court in Braunschweig on Tuesday cited an unspecified health issue that meant Winterkorn, 78, was not in a condition to face trial. The court said in a statement that it had "provisionally terminated' the proceedings. It said the health issue represented a 'temporary impediment' and would continue to be reviewed with the help of an expert so that proceedings could resume if Winterkorn recovers. Winterkorn went on trial in September, 2024 but the proceedings were suspended a few days later after Winterkorn had an accident. Germany's code of criminal procedure allows for a court to provisionally terminate proceedings 'if the absence of the indicted accused or some other personal impediment prevents the main hearing being held for a considerable time.' Prosecutors say Winterkorn knew about the illegal software well before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its discovery of the violation in September 2015. He resigned days later. He has said he learned about the practice only shortly before the announcement and earlier testified during civil proceedings that the allegations against him 'are not correct.' In May, four former Volkswagen managers were convicted of fraud and two of them given prison sentences for their part in the manipulation of emissions controls. The former head of diesel development was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, and the head of drive train electronics to two years and seven months by the court in Braunschweig. Two others received suspended sentences of 15 months and 10 months. The company has paid more than $33 billion in fines and compensation to vehicle owners. Two VW managers received prison sentences in the U.S. The former head of the company's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and a fine of 1.1 million euros ($1.25 million). The sentence is still subject to appeal. . David Mchugh, The Associated Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
German court suspends diesel scandal trial of former Volkswagen CEO Winterkorn
A German court has suspended proceedings in the trial of former Volkswagen CEO Martin Winterkorn, who has been charged with fraud and market manipulation in connection with Volkswagen's use of rigged software that let millions of diesel-engine cars cheat on emissions tests. The regional court in Braunschweig on Tuesday cited an unspecified health issue that meant Winterkorn, 78, was not in a condition to face trial. The court said in a statement that it had "provisionally terminated' the proceedings. It said the health issue represented a 'temporary impediment' and would continue to be reviewed with the help of an expert so that proceedings could resume if Winterkorn recovers. Winterkorn went on trial in September, 2024 but the proceedings were suspended a few days later after Winterkorn had an accident. Germany's code of criminal procedure allows for a court to provisionally terminate proceedings 'if the absence of the indicted accused or some other personal impediment prevents the main hearing being held for a considerable time.' Prosecutors say Winterkorn knew about the illegal software well before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced its discovery of the violation in September 2015. He resigned days later. He has said he learned about the practice only shortly before the announcement and earlier testified during civil proceedings that the allegations against him 'are not correct.' In May, four former Volkswagen managers were convicted of fraud and two of them given prison sentences for their part in the manipulation of emissions controls. The former head of diesel development was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, and the head of drive train electronics to two years and seven months by the court in Braunschweig. Two others received suspended sentences of 15 months and 10 months. The company has paid more than $33 billion in fines and compensation to vehicle owners. Two VW managers received prison sentences in the U.S. The former head of the company's Audi division, Rupert Stadler, was given a suspended sentence of 21 months and a fine of 1.1 million euros ($1.25 million). The sentence is still subject to appeal. .
