MADELEINE McCann prime suspect Christian Brueckner’s lawyer yesterday pledged to get him cleared of a string of rape charges.
Friedrich Fülscher said he was confident he could defend him against the allegations — including a knifepoint rape of an Irish holiday rep in 2004.
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He claimed the charges were part of a witch-hunt against Brueckner, 47 — also suspected of abducting three-year-old Madeleine 17 years ago.
Dr Fülscher revealed he had brought in a powerful and expensive defence team, insisting: “I am convinced that there can only be an acquittal at the end of the trial.”
German drifter Brueckner was identified four years ago as the main suspect in the abduction of Madeleine from her family’s holiday flat in Portugal in 2007.
He is in jail serving a seven-year sentence for rape.
On Friday, he is due before a court in Braunschweig to face claims he raped three women and twice sexually molested children in Portugal.
His alleged victims include Irish mum Hazel Behan, who says he raped her when she was 20 and working as a holiday rep in Portugal.
A conviction will keep him behind bars — as fears grow he may never be charged over Madeleine’s disappearance.
But Dr Fülscher said that the top legal team he has put were having to fight against prejudice in the media.
And he warned witnesses: “They will have to be prepared for unpleasant questions.”
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