Madeleine McCann latest – Chief suspect Christian B ‘has network of pals who’ll provide alibi for night Maddie vanished’
THE Madeleine McCann prime suspect has a “number of people” willing to provide an alibi, a source has said.
Convicted rapist Christian B was named by German prosecutors in 2020 but they have yet to build a case against the 44-year-old.
Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her bed while on holiday with her parents and family friends at a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007.
A new witness claims to have been with him around that time and also insists he was calm while she was with him.
She also claims they were stopped by police who reported no suspicious activity.
But now The Sun can reveal she is one of “multiple witnesses” who Christian B will turn to if quizzed again over the Maddie case.
Read our Madeleine McCann live blog for the latest updates...
When did Madeleine McCann go missing?
Madeleine disappeared 13 years ago on May 3, 2007, when her family, from Leicestershire, on holiday in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal.
Parents Gerry and Kate left their three kids, including toddler twins Sean and Amelie sleeping in their apartment while they dined at a tapas bar 120 metres away.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at about 10pm that evening, she found Madeleine was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, both doctors, were sensationally named as “arguidos” by Portuguese police.
The following summer the McCanns were cleared by investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
What theories are there about Madeleine’s disappearance? (Continued…)
- Another theory is that Madeleine was taken as part of a bungled burglary in which an intruder panicked and snatched her after she woke up. While Scotland Yard looked into this theory it has always been dismissed by cops in Portugal since nothing else was taken from the apartment.
- US think tank The Rutherford Institute said Madeleine could have been taken by a sex trafficking gang after studying how kids are abducted and abuse in the sex industry. The institute’s John Whitehead also believes these gangs could be aided by “predator cops” – although there is no evidence suggesting Portuguese police were involved in assisting with Madeleine’s kidnapping.
- In 2019 Portuguese police were said to think Madeleine was kidnapped by a surgical-mask wearing man who is known to the cops, after a tip off from Scotland Yard.
What theories are there about Madeleine’s disappearance? (Continued…)
- In the 2019 Netflix documentary The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, investigators point out that the coastal resort of Praia da Luz would make it easier for traffickers to escape on a boat and travel to North Africa. The resort is also only 90 minutes drive from the border with Spain.
- A local resident in the Netflix film pointed out that the Algarve has many wells, some of which are 100ft deep. They suggested Madeleine could have wandered out of the apartment and fallen to her death.
- Parents Gerry and Kate have been forced to confront rumours around their daughter’s disappearance, with the couple vowing to fight “tooth and nail” if they are ever prosecuted over leaving their children alone.
- In July, 2017, Madeleine parents failed in their bid to silence ex Portuguese cop Goncalo Amaral‘s over his claims they faked their daughter’s kidnapping to cover up her death.
What theories are there about Madeleine’s disappearance?
- In June 2020, it was revealed that a German prisoner was the prime suspect in the case, with evidence showing he was in and around the Praia da Luz area at the time.
- Investigative journalist and ex-police officer Mark Williams-Thomas believes Madeleine left the apartment in search of her parents.
- Ex-police chief Goncalo Amaral has claimed MI5 helped cover-up Madeleine McCann’s body after her parents accidentally killed her.
- Veteran investigative journalist Danny Collins believes the toddler could not have been snatched from the room. He is convinced she left the apartment in Praia da Luz looking for her parents before being abducted and possibly sold to gypsies.
- Former Scotland Yard detective Colin Sutton says the “most likely and credible scenario” for Madeleine’s disappearance is a targeted kidnap by child traffickers – possibly to replace some grieving parents’ own dead child.
Maddie vanished nearly 15 years ago
MADELEINE McCann vanished from her family’s Portuguese holiday flat more than 14 years ago, triggering a global search which has so far failed to find the missing child.
Despite a £12million police probe, Madeleine’s whereabouts – or whether she’s dead or alive – still remains a mystery.
A bombshell alibi?
The Sun earlier revealed the case against Christian B was set to crumble after British investigators found he had an alibi.
After the German team examined phone records, they were said to place him at the scene.
However a TV team led by an ex-detective discovered the sex predator was “30 minutes away” from Praia da Luz when Madeleine disappeared.
The Channel 5 three-parter Madeleine McCann: Investigating the Prime Suspect, is set to demolish the case against Christian B.
The team, who spent months in Portugal and Germany, found new witnesses in both countries who throw his guilt into doubt.
And the new probe led by former Surrey Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas is said to show an alibi “stacks up”.
Our source said: “They have concluded he could not have snatched Madeleine.
“He was 30 minutes away and was not on the phone in Praia da Luz the night she vanished.”
Maddie’s story ‘has many German facets’
The documentary team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, say they collected “many new clues and indications” that Christian was behind the incident.
Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said: “The sad story of Madeleine McCann is a story that has many German facets.
“The case is being tried at the Regional Court of Braunschweig, as the German Christian B. is the main suspect.
“In his environment there are many German women and men who can describe individual details surrounding the crime.
“Jutta Rabe has researched shocking material in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.”
Christian B was identified as the prime suspect in Madeleine’s disappearance June 2020.
Prosecutors slam claims case is ‘crumbling over Christian B's alibi’
PROSECUTORS have rebuffed claims the case against Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B is set to crumble after British investigators allegedly found he has an alibi.
A team led by an ex-detective claim to have discovered the sex predator, 44, was “30 minutes away” from the resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal, when Madeleine disappeared.
But the new probe led by former Surrey Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas, is said to show an alibi for B “stacks up”.
But German authorities have dismissed the claims.
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told the : “If I had an alibi and was accused of this, I would say it. But I have heard no such claims from [Christian B] or his lawyer.”Read more here.
‘New clues and indications’
The documentary team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, say they collected “many new clues and indications” that Christian was behind the incident.
Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said: “The sad story of Madeleine McCann is a story that has many German facets.
“The case is being tried at the Regional Court of Braunschweig, as the German Christian B. is the main suspect.
“In his environment there are many German women and men who can describe individual details surrounding the crime.
“Jutta Rabe has researched shocking material in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.”
Maddie suspect will be charged with rape of Irish tour guide
MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian B is set to be charged with the rape of a woman in 2004 in the Algarve.
German officials have announced the sex offender, 45, will be charged with brutally attacking Irish tour rep Hazel Behan three years before the British toddler disappeared.
Miss Behan, who was 20 at the time of the attack, came forward in June 2020 after reading about his previous convictions.
Read the article in full here.
Inside Madeleine McCann suspect’s sinister factory
SCATTERED over a couple of hectares of scrubland in a backwater of the former communist German Democratic Republic sits a collection of derelict buildings, strangled by half a century of neglect.
Scrawled on a wall in red were the words, “Mein freundin hat mich beloneen betrogen zum hass eerzogem”, meaning: “My girlfriend lied to me, cheated on me and raised me to hate.”
The handwriting was very similar to Christian B’s.
Looking recently dug up, and certainly not appearing in a single photo or video… was what almost looked like a shallow grave. It measured approximately 5ft long and 18in deep.
A pile of rubble, with chunks of concrete at the bottom, was next to it, while an empty bottle had been thrown in, almost for decoration.
Read the article in full here.
How much longer will the police investigation last?
In June 2019 it was confirmed that the Metropolitan Police were asking the Home Office for more funding to continue the work of Operation Grange.
Scotland Yard’s investigation has been ongoing since 2011.
During that time the number of detectives working on the case was cut from 29 to four in 2015.
Funding for the search was due to expire in October 2017.
But on September 28, 2017, it was confirmed investigators have received £154,000 to keep the probe alive until March 2018.
Maddie 'still alive'
Scotland Yard detectives say they have seen no evidence that Madeleine is not alive.
The four-strong Operation Grange unit are still operating in an "active" phase of their missing child investigation.
A source told the last month: "Clearly the Met have more open thinking than the German authorities have at the present.
"Madeleine's parents have always said if they are presented with hard proof she has died they will accept it.
"But the fact Operation Grange still exists and still gets funding shows the Met still thinks there is still work and investigation to be done."
The Home Office awarded a further £350,000 in funding to last until later this year.
Bombshell 'alibi'
Earlier this month The Sun revealed the case against Christian B was set to crumble after British investigators found he had an alibi.
Phone records examined by the German team were said to place him at the scene.
But a TV team led by an ex-detective discovered the sex predator was “30 minutes away” from Praia da Luz when Madeleine disappeared.
The Channel 5 three-parter Madeleine McCann: Investigating the Prime Suspect, is set to demolish the case against Christian B.
The team, who spent months in Portugal and Germany, found new witnesses in both countries who throw his guilt into doubt.
And the new probe led by former Surrey Police detective Mark Williams-Thomas is said to show an alibi “stacks up”.
Our source said: “They have concluded he could not have snatched Madeleine.
"He was 30 minutes away and was not on the phone in Praia da Luz the night she vanished.”
Explained: The new Madeleine McCann evidence
German detectives believe convicted paedophile Christian B kidnapped and killed three-year-old Madeleine McCann.
She vanished from her family's holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.
But despite their suspicions, he has never been charged with any offence in connection to the child’s disappearance.
Now a team working on a documentary about Madeline has handed over fresh evidence.
They claim they have proof showing Christian B was near Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished while her mum and dad dined in a tapas restaurant.
The documentary team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, claim they collected “many new clues and indications” Christian was behind her disappearance.
Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said they have “shocking material” in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.
Where is Christian B now?
Christian B was identified as the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance June 2020.
He is serving a seven-year sentence in prison for raping a 72-year-old American woman in the Algarve in 2005.
Police officers are also investigating Christian B's alleged involvement in three other cases.
The first of the three offences is the rape of Irish woman Hazel Behan in Praia da Rocha on the Algarve in 2004.
The second offence is over the sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl in Portugal in 2007 and the third involves the abuse of four children at a festival in São Bartolomeu de Messines in 2017.
Christian B’s lawyer Friedrich Fulscher had said his client “denies any involvement” in the McCann case.
Maddie's story 'has many German facets'
The documentary team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, say they collected “many new clues and indications” that Christian was behind the incident.
Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said: “The sad story of Madeleine McCann is a story that has many German facets.
“The case is being tried at the Regional Court of Braunschweig, as the German Christian B. is the main suspect.
“In his environment there are many German women and men who can describe individual details surrounding the crime.
“Jutta Rabe has researched shocking material in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.”
Christian B was identified as the prime suspect in Madeleine's disappearance June 2020.
Explained: When did Madeleine McCann go missing?
Madeleine disappeared 13 years ago on May 3, 2007, when her family, from Leicestershire, on holiday in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve, Portugal.
Parents Gerry and Kate left their three kids, including toddler twins Sean and Ameliesleeping in their apartment while they dined at a tapas bar 120 metres away.
When Kate returned to check on the kids at about 10pm that evening, she found Madeleine was not in her bed and was missing.
In September of that year, Gerry and Kate, both doctors, were sensationally named as “arguidos” by Portuguese police.The following summer the McCanns were cleared by investigators in Portugal who declared they had exhausted all avenues in the case.
'Shocking new evidence'
A team working on a documentary about Madeleine say they have handed over fresh evidence to detectives.
They claim they have discovered proof that Christian B, 45, was near Praia da Luz when Madeleine vanished in May 2007.
The documentary team from Sat.1, made up of ex-investigators and journalists, say they collected “many new clues and indications” that Christian took her.
Editor-in-chief Juliane Ebling said: “The sad story of Madeleine McCann is a story that has many German facets.
“The case is being tried at the Regional Court of Braunschweig, as the German Christian B is the main suspect.
“In his environment there are many German women and men who can describe individual details surrounding the crime.
“Jutta Rabe has researched shocking material in Germany, Portugal and England over the past months, which heavily incriminates Christian B.”
Christian B is said to have dug a secret 10ft cellar under his house in Germany 'Russians in the frame'
The TV investigators are also said to have found evidence other suspects may have snatched Madeleine.
A Portuguese source said: “The new information is pointing towards the fact two Russians could be behind it.”
It throws doubt on claims by prosecutors they have solid information incriminating jailed rapist Christian B.
The German investigators are said to have "concrete proof" Madeleine is dead, and claim Christian B killer her soon after snatching her.
But The Sun revealed last year that they actually have “nothing concrete”.
Five-year probe
German prosecutors named Christian B as their prime suspect in June 2020.
But it emerged they had actually started investigating him at least three years before that.
Now after around five years of intensive detective work, they still do not have enough evidence to being charges.
Mr Wolters said: "We did not take the decision to go public lightly.
"Since then we have found a lot more pieces of the puzzle, but I cannot reveal what they are.
"We are making progress and have the same number of investigators working on the case, but we don't yet have enough to charge the suspect."
The mysteries surrounding Madeleine McCann suspect
Despite a lengthy investigation by authorities in Portugal, Germany and the UK, there are still a series of crucial unknowns in the world's most famous missing child mystery.
As they search for the missing piece of the jigsaw, prosecutors are faced with a series of remaining mysteries to unravel.
- 'Shocking new evidence'
- Bombshell 'alibi'
- 'Russians in the frame'
- 'Still alive'
- Five-year probe
- Secret cellar and sinister factory
- Facing other charges
Read the article in full here.
The key dates in Madeleine’s disappearance? (Continued…)
- November 2018 – More funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted
- November 2018 – Former detective David Edgar, who once helped search for Madeleine, says she could still be alive and imprisoned, with “no idea who she is”. He believes she is being kept against her identity in a “lair” and could even still be in Portugal.
- November 2018 – UK police are re-examining a theory Madeleine left the apartment to look for her parents. They are also looking at whether her disappearance was the result of a kidnapping or burglary gone wrong.
- June 2019 – Another round of funding, believed to be £300,000 of government cash is granted
- June 2019 – Portuguese police are probing a “new clue and suspect” after talks with British officers, according to a bombshell local media report.
- August 2019 – A DNA expert in the US offers to analyse samples to provide an investigative lead.
- June 2020 – New prime suspect revealed as a German paedo, in a huge breakthrough in the 13-year investigation.
The key dates in Madeleine’s disappearance? (Continued…)
- November 27, 2013 – Met Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe called for British and Portuguese police to work together.
- April 28, 2015 – Detective Goncalo Amaral is ordered to pay Kate and Gerry McCann £209,000 each in damages by a court in Lisbon over claims made in The Truth Of The Lie and bans further sales of the book.
- October 28, 2015 – Scotland Yard reduces the number of officers working on Madeleine’s disappearance from 29 to four.
- January 31, 2017 – Portugal’s Supreme Court rules against Kate and Gerry McCann’s £418,000 libel claim. The court claims freedom of expression laws protect Detective Goncalo Amaral’s claims in the book.
- March 11, 2017 – The Home Office grants Operation Grange an extra £85,000 to continue from April until September.
- September 28, 2017 – British police are granted £154,000 to keep the probe alive until March 2018.
- November 2017 – Cops moved the search to Bulgaria as they tried to find a “woman in purple” they wanted to speak to.
- May 2018 – Another round of funding, thought to be in the region of £150,000 is granted.
- September 2018 – An extra six months of funding is requested from the Home Office amid fears the cash will run out by the end of the month.
The key dates in Madeleine’s disappearance? (Continued…)
- July 24, 2009 – Detective Goncalo Amaral alleges that Madeleine died in her family’s holiday flat the day she went missing in a book called The Truth Of The Lie. In a documentary for Portuguese television he claims there was no abduction and the McCanns had hidden her body.
- May 12, 2011 – On Madeleine’s eighth birthday, Mrs McCann publishes a book about her disappearance. Scotland Yard launches a review into the case after a request from Home Secretary Theresa May, supported by Prime Minister David Cameron.
- April 25, 2012 – Scotland Yard officers say they believe Madeleine McCann is still alive. A new picture is released, showing what she might look like as a 9-year-old, and they call on the Portuguese authorities to reopen the case, but Portuguese police say they have found no new material.
- July 4, 2013 – Two years into a review of the case, Scotland Yard launch its own investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance. They claim to have “genuinely new” lines of inquiry and identify 38 people of interest including 12 Britons.
- October 24, 2013– Portuguese police reopen their case after new lines of inquiry are found.