Search for:
kralbetz.com1xbit güncelTipobet365Anadolu Casino GirişMariobet GirişSupertotobet mobil girişBetistbahis.comSahabetTarafbetMatadorbethack forumBetturkeyXumabet GirişrestbetbetpasGonebetBetticketTrendbetistanbulbahisbetixirtwinplaymegaparifixbetzbahisalobetaspercasino1winorisbetbetkom
Christian B trial: Madeleine McCann suspect cannot get a fair trial, defence claims | World News

The sex crimes trial of the main suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has been held up after the defence accused prosecutors of creating worldwide prejudice against him.

Lawyers for Christian B, 46, told a German court that he could not get a fair trial on rape and sex assault charges because prosecutors had consistently accused him of abducting British toddler Madeleine McCann who vanished in Portugal 17 years ago.

Defence lawyer Atilla Ayak asked judges to remove one of the prosecutors in the trial that is being held in the city of Braunschweig, Germany.

Christian B – as he is known under German privacy laws – is accused of three rapes and two sex assaults, crimes he allegedly committed over 20 years in Portugal where he once lived. He denies the charges, none of which are related to the McCann case.

The defence team said that in statements, press conferences and media interviews German prosecutors have given the impression Christian B killed Madeleine, though he has not been charged in connection with her disappearance and he denies any involvement.

Madeleine McCann. Pic: Handout/ PA
Image:
Madeleine McCann. Pic: Handout/ PA

In tense exchanges, prosecutors accused the defence of using delaying tactics to hold up the expected appearance of a key witness against Christian B.

His former friend Helge Busching triggered investigators’ focus on Christian B in the Madeleine case in 2017 when he told them his friend had “confessed” to the abduction.

He claimed that in a bar room conversation, Christian B had told him: “She didn’t scream when I took her.”

In today’s hearing Mr Busching is expected to tell the court that he found a video tape at Christian B’s old home in Portugal in which his friend appeared to have filmed himself raping an unidentified elderly woman and a teenage girl.

Investigators have never found the tape, but Mr Busching’s evidence helped form the basis of two of the rape charges in the trial.

Read more on Sky News:
Is the UK preparing for war amid threats of conflict?
Rebel Wilson claims she felt ‘sexually harassed’ by Sacha Baron Cohen

Christian B
Image:
Christian B denies the charges

Christian B, a German drifter, is also accused of raping an Irish former holiday rep Hazel Behan in Portugal in 2005 and sexually assaulting two young girls.

He is currently halfway through a seven-year jail sentence for raping an elderly American woman in Praia da Luz, the same Portuguese resort where Madeleine vanished from her family’s rented holiday apartment in 2007.

The sex crimes trial is expected to continue into the summer.

Christian Horner: Formula 1 boss’s accuser appeals decision to clear Red Bull boss of misconduct | UK News

The female employee suspended by Red Bull has appealed against the decision to clear team principal Christian Horner of misconduct following allegations of inappropriate behaviour, according to the PA news agency.

After an investigation, Red Bull dismissed the complainant’s grievances in February, meaning Horner was allowed to remain in his role within the team.

But the employee has now lodged a formal appeal with the F1 team’s Austrian parent company Red Bull GmbH.

Sky Sports News reported the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) – which governs F1 – is also evaluating an inquiry relating to allegations by Horner’s accuser.

The employee, who is believed to have reported in for work in Milton Keynes, was told she acted dishonestly and is understood to have been suspended on full pay.

She also received a legal letter, which gave her five working days to appeal against the outcome of the investigation.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Christian Horner hand-in-hand with wife Geri

Horner, 50, who has always denied the claims made against him, was allowed to continue in his role when GmbH cleared him of any wrongdoing.

When questioned about it on 7 March, ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, Horner said: “There’s been a lot of coverage surrounding this.

“One has to go back to the basis. A grievance was raised, it was fully investigated and it was dismissed. We move onwards.”

“It has been of great interest in different elements of the media for different reasons,” he added.

“I think it’s time to draw a line under it. And to focus on what is going on the track.”

Read more from Sky News:
Vaughan Gething to become next first minister of Wales
Suspected gunman barricades himself in home after three shot dead
Ireland win Six Nations

He said the investigation had been a “very trying period” for him and his family, including his wife, former Spice Girl Geri Horner.

“My wife has been phenomenally supportive through this, as has my family, but the intrusion on my family is now enough, and we need to move forward and focus on what we are here for,” he said.

Sky News has contacted Red Bull Racing for comment.

Christian Horner: Scandal-hit Red Bull F1 boss says ‘intrusion on my family is now enough’ | Breaking News News

Christian Horner has said the “intrusion on my family is now enough” and “has been very trying” after scrutiny following claims that he behaved inappropriately towards a female member of Red Bull staff.

Speaking at a news conference in Saudi Arabia, he said: “There’s been a lot of coverage surrounding this.

“One has to go back to the basis. A grievance was raised, fully investigated and it was dismissed. We move onwards.”

“It has been of great interest in different elements of the media for different reasons,” he added. “I think it’s time to draw a line under it. And to focus on what is going on on track.”

It comes as Sky News understands Horner’s accuser was suspended following the investigation into the claim of inappropriate behaviour against the Formula One team principal.

When asked about the matter, Horner said: “This is confidential. I am not at liberty [to talk about it].

“We are all bound by the same restrictions. Even if I’d like to talk about it, I can’t. This has been trying in many respects.”

But, speaking about the impact on his family, Horner said: “The scrutiny on my marriage – I’ve got a beautiful family – it’s been very trying.

“When there [are] children involved, and family involved, it’s not pretty.”

“My wife has been hugely supportive, as has my family, but the intrusion on my family is now enough, and we need to move forward and focus on what we are here for.

“It is time now to focus on why we are here which is to go Formula One racing.”

Horner, who has always denied the allegations against him, was cleared of misconduct by the F1 team’s Austrian parent company Red Bull GmbH last week.

It is understood his female accuser, who is believed to have reported in for work in Milton Keynes on Monday, has been suspended on full pay as a direct result of Red Bull’s inquiry.

A Red Bull Racing spokesperson said: “We are unable to comment as it is an internal matter.”

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

Christian B: Madeleine McCann suspect beat rape victim and attacked woman while wearing ski mask, court hears | World News

The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann raped a woman while wearing a ski mask and beat another rape victim with a whip, a court has heard.

Christian B – whose surname cannot be published due to the country’s privacy laws – faces three counts of rape and two of sexual abuse at his trial in the northern city of Braunschweig.

The 47-year-old German is alleged to have committed the offences in Portugal between 2000 and 2017. The allegations do not relate to the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007.

Madeleine McCann. Pic: Handout/ PA
Image:
The British youngster went missing in 2007. Pic: Handout/ PA

He is accused of raping and beating a 70 to 80-year-old woman, after entering her bedroom wearing a ski mask. He also allegedly held a cushion over the woman’s face before leaving.

Under another charge, it’s said Christian B allegedly woke up a 20-year-old from Ireland as she slept, before raping her at her flat in Portugal in June 2004. In the same alleged attack, he is accused of gagging the woman and beating her.

Other charges facing Christian B include:

  • Beating and sexually assaulting a girl aged at least 14 sometime between December 2000 and April 2006 at his house in Praia da Luz, Portugal
  • Exposing himself to a 10-year-old German girl at a beach in Salema in the district of Faro in Portugal on 7 April 2007
  • Exposing himself to an 11-year-old Portuguese girl at a playground in Bartolomeu de Messines in Portugal on 11 June 2017

During the hearing, Christian B’s lawyer said the defendant “is using his right to remain silent”.

His defence lawyer 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.

Christian B is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence for the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old in Praia da Luz, the same town where Madeleine disappeared.

He has not been charged in the McCann case and denies involvement, but has been under investigation for the last few years.

Madeleine was three when she went missing on holiday in Portugal in May 2007.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

16 February: Christian B arrives in court

In May last year, German and Portuguese police searched a nearby reservoir that Christian B used to call his “paradise”.

His trial opened a week ago but was swiftly adjourned on its first day after Mr Fulscher filed a challenge against a lay judge on the panel hearing the case, who was alleged once to have spread a call to kill former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro on social media.

Prosecutors supported the challenge.

The woman has been removed from the case and now faces an investigation herself on suspicion of making a public call to commit crimes.

Read more on Sky News:
Shamima Begum loses UK citizenship appeal

Energy price cap to fall but bills to include ‘temporary’ charge

Friedrich Fuelscher expects his client to be acquitted. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Friedrich Fulscher expects his client to be acquitted. Pic: Reuters

The trial is expected to last four months.

Sheffield car crash victim named as father-of-two Christian Marriott | UK News

A man who died after a car hit a group of people in Sheffield has been named as father-of-two Christian Marriott

Mr Marriott, 46, had been out for a walk with his wife and two young sons on Wednesday afternoon when he stopped to help a woman lying unconscious in the street.

It is believed the woman had been involved in an altercation between a group of people, according to South Yorkshire Police.

As Mr Marriott was helping the woman, the car then hit him as well as a number of others, including an off-duty midwife, who had also stopped to help.

Following the incident in College Close, Burngreave, a 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a 55-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder, South Yorkshire Police said.

One of the people injured in the crash is in a serious condition in hospital.

A police cordon on Scott Road, Burngreave, after a 46-year-old man died and several others were injured after a car hit a crowd of people during violence in Sheffield. A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder and a 55-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder, South Yorkshire Police said. Picture date: Thursday December 28, 2023. See PA story POLICE Burngreave. Photo credit should read: Dave Higgens/PA Wire
Image:
A police cordon on Scott Road, Burngreave

Read more from Sky News:
Three dead after car goes into river
PM urged to hold emergency COBRA meeting

Senior Investigating Officer, DCI Andrew Knowles, said: “This is an utterly heartbreaking case in which a Good Samaritan, who had stepped in to help a stranger in their time of need, has lost his life.

“Chris leaves behind a loving family including his devastated wife and two young sons. We are absolutely determined to secure justice for Chris and his loved ones following this horrific tragedy.”

The woman Mr Marriott was helping remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition.