Child rape trial against Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian B CAN go ahead, court rules
A CHILD rape trial against Madeleine McCann prime suspect Christian B can go ahead, a court has ruled.
The regional court in Brunswick, north Germany, had said in April that it could not hear the case against the fiend because the suspect's last known address was in a different part of the country.
But a higher court in Brunswick ruled on Tuesday that there was insufficient evidence of another place of residence, after prosecutors appealed the decision.
"The regional court of Brunswick has local jurisdiction for the charges and must decide on the opening of proceedings," the higher regional court said in a statement.
Christian B is already behind bars, serving a seven-year sentence for raping a 72-year-old US tourist in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in 2005.
He is also the main suspect in the disappearance of the then three-year-old Maddie from a holiday apartment at Praia da Luz in 2007.
Brunswick prosecutors have said they believe Christian B murdered the girl, but he has yet to face any charges in the Maddie case.
As part of their investigations, Brunswick prosecutors last year charged him with three counts of rape and two sexual offences against children in Portugal -- unrelated to Maddie McCann -- between 2000 and 2017.
Judges in Brunswick must now decide whether to launch a trial over these charges.
It comes after sources claimed German cops were warned months ago they could wreck the probe into Maddie's disappearance by relying on a witness dubbed "the Bulls****er"
Most read in The Sun
Police were depending on a damning statement made by an ex-pal of Christian B to crack the case.
The Sun exclusively revealed how sources close to the German probe say their key witness Helge B is “wobbling” and threatening to stop helping.
His statement had become the cornerstone of the German-led police case - but insiders claim he could soon back out and refuse to support his claims in court.
Now sources also told The Sun how German officers were told long ago about Helge B's "flakiness" - and that their reputation is now "shot to bits".
One source close to the investigation even revealed some Portuguese officers even nicknamed the star witness “Helge Bulls****er”.
Detectives claim to have “concrete evidence” that Madeleine is dead but have yet to produce further material which could lead to a charge.
Maddie went missing just before her fourth birthday, as her parents dined with friends at a tapas bar near the apartment.
Despite a huge international manhunt and global media attention, no trace of her has been found and no one has been charged over her disappearance.
In June 2020, German prosecutors revealed they were investigating Christian B in connection with the case, saying they had "concrete evidence" he killed Maddie.
Read More on The US Sun
At the request of German authorities, investigators carried out a major three-day search at a reservoir in southern Portugal in May, hoping for clues into Maddie's disappearance.
Brunswick prosecutors afterwards said "a number of objects" were secured during the search, but that it was too soon to determine any link with the Maddie case.