I remember McCann suspect's eyes, says rape victim

A woman, who was allegedly raped by the prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case, says she has never forgotten her attacker's bright blue eyes.

They were "bored into my skull," she said, during hours of testimony.

Hazel Behan, who previously waived her right to anonymity, told a court in Germany she believed Christian Brückner was the man who brutally assaulted her.

He faces five sex offence charges, which he is contesting and are unrelated to the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine in Portugal’s Algarve region in 2007.

Warning: This article contains distressing details

Madeleine, who would now be aged 21, has never been found.

German investigators identified 47-year-old Brückner as a prime suspect in what they have classed as a murder inquiry, but he has denied involvement and has never been charged.

This trial, in Lower Saxony, north-west Germany is not about Madeleine - although the alleged offences all took place in Portugal between 2000 and 2017.

Brückner’s legal team are contesting the charges and say their client is not the man who repeatedly raped Ms Behan, from Ireland, in 2004.

Ms Behan, now aged 40, told the court on Wednesday about a prolonged ordeal in her apartment.

She was 20 at the time and working as a holiday rep in Praia de Rocha.

The assault began, she said, after she was woken up by a masked man, dressed head to toe in black, who was calling her name.

Under questioning on Thursday, she was asked about her assertion that, years later, she recognised Brückner's general description and photos - particularly his "bright" eyes - following police media appeals linked to Madeleine's disappearance.

"When you spend time in that situation as a person and there‘s nothing else that you can see of this human, other than their eyes, it's the only thing you remember."

She compared them to "lights" during the night-time assault. "They were so bright. I just know them."

Near the close of the day's session, the judge asked Brückner to approach the bench - apparently in order to examine his eyes.

During two days of testimony, Ms Behan has had to sit just metres away from the suspect - trying, it seemed, to largely avoid looking directly at him.

Ms Behan had told the court on Wednesday that the man who assaulted her spoke English with a German accent and had a mark on his thigh.

A rape that Brückner had already been convicted of bore a strong similarity to her own ordeal, she said, prompting her to come forward.

Referring to the defendant on Thursday, she told the court: "I believe this man is the attacker."

Ms Behan has described a violent assault, saying it was filmed by her attacker.

She sometimes became distressed in court and said she still suffered from injuries 20 years on from the attack.

Earlier, she said she had decided to speak to Irish media in 2015 about what she had experienced in order to be "heard" and help other women.

She said that after she talked on the radio, the Rape Crisis service experienced an increase in calls.

Brückner’s defence team questioned Ms Behan in detail about her recollection of events and her contacts with the press.

Already a convicted sex offender, Brückner is accused of three counts of rape and two of the sexual abuse of children.

The trial continues.

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