Irish woman raped at knifepoint in Portugal gives evidence in Christian Brueckner trial

Main suspect in Madeleine McCann case in court in Germany charged with three rapes and two indecent assaults

Christian Brueckner is on trial in Germany accused of rape and sexual assault. Picture: Julian Stratenschulte/dpa via AP

An Irish woman who was raped at knifepoint by a masked man in Portugal 20 years ago has told a German court how the trauma of the ordeal had left her suffering from frequent panic attacks.

Hazel Behan, 40, broke down as she recalled how a man dressed in black had entered her apartment in the resort of Praia da Rocha in the Algarve at 3am on 16 June 2004. She told how he stood over her bed and woke her by calling her name before proceeding to rape her repeatedly over several hours.