The new suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has also been investigated over the disappearance of a five-year-old German girl, according to German media reports. The 43-year-old German man, identified as Christian B, is currently serving a prison sentence for drug offences and the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
German prosecutors have stated they assume Madeleine is dead and are investigating the suspect on suspicion of murder. The suspect is believed to have been in the area where Madeleine, aged three, went missing while on holiday in Portugal in 2007. A senior judicial source in Portugal told the BBC that the joint investigation began after a tip-off in Germany in 2017, when a friend reported a 'disturbing comment' made by Christian B while watching TV coverage of the 10th anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance.
The German girl, named only as Inga, went missing from a family party in Saxony-Anhalt on 2 May 2015 and has never been found. Police have refused to confirm the investigation or comment on reports that officers searched land belonging to Christian B in February 2016.
UK police have received more than 270 calls and emails since appealing for information. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, leading Operation Grange, said he was 'pleased' with the response. Clarence Mitchell, spokesman for Madeleine's parents Kate and Gerry McCann, said they were 'encouraged' by the appeal's results.
Police have released photos of a VW camper van and a Jaguar car linked to the suspect, as well as a phone number. The suspect transferred the Jaguar to another person the day after Madeleine vanished. He received a phone call at 19:32 on the evening of her disappearance, which ended at 20:02; Madeleine is believed to have disappeared between 21:10 and 22:00.
