The German consul accused of bludgeoning his husband to death at their luxury seaside home on the iconic Ipanema beach in the Brazilian capital Rio de Janeiro has fled the country before cops could arrest him.

The consul named as Uwe Herbert Hahn, 60, who was initially arrested and later released, took advantage of the freedom to flee back to Germany after the cold killing at Ipanema.

The beach is famous for its iconic white sands and is popular with sunbathers.

It also said to have spectacular sunsets and was immortalised in the song “The girl from Ipanema”.

Hahn was initially arrested after his Belgian husband, Walter Henri Maximilien Biot, 52, was found dead at their shared residence in the neighbourhood of Ipanema in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 5th August.

He was accused of beating Biot to death after investigators discovered signs of trauma on the victim’s body along with bloodstains all over the couple’s beachside home.

This was after the accused reportedly told investigators that his late husband of 23 years had fallen off a balcony under the influence of alcohol and medication during an argument.

Hahn was arrested two days later but was subsequently released on Friday, 26th August.

This was due to the fact that prosecutors failed to press charges against the consul before a specified deadline after a court in Rio requested his release from several weeks of pre-trial detention, according to a local judge’s ruling.

His release was ordered but his passport was not withheld, according to Brazilian police officer Camila Lourenco.

She added: “That made his escape easier.”

This was after a previous application for release from the German consul was denied.

Hahn left Rio de Janeiro on Sunday and arrived at Frankfurt Airport in Germany on a scheduled flight on Monday, 29th August, according to national media reports.

A second judge then ordered Hahn’s arrest and demanded custody, which was granted by a court on Monday evening in Rio de Janeiro.

The judge also requested that his name be added to the Interpol list of wanted persons, according to a court statement.

A request for legal assistance to Brazil is now being prepared, according to a statement from a spokesperson from the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Berlin on Tuesday, 30th August.

The Federal Office in Berlin claimed that no restrictions were placed on the consul’s release from custody in an official statement.

The statement added: “Our embassy in Brasilia and the consulate general in Rio de Janeiro are in close contact with the Brazilian authorities.”

The spokesperson for the Federal Office failed to provide any further information and went on to cite the consul’s personal rights.