Madeleine McCann suspect Christian B to be FREED – but cops to keep him under ’24/7 surveillance’ in bid to snare him
MADELEINE McCann cops are planning to place suspect Christian B under a ruthless 24/7 surveillance regime in a desperate bid to finally snare him.
German police sources revealed the latest throw of the dice by prosecutors as they are determined to prove that the convicted sex offender was the one who snatched and possibly killed Maddie.
Christian B may be released from jail before the end of the investigation into him – which cops have admitted could stretch to 2026.
Now sources close to the case have revealed to The Sun Online how investigators think the convicted rapist being free might actually provide a boost to the probe.
The source said: “It is very possible [Christian B] will be released while the investigation into Maddie’s whereabouts is still continuing.
“If that happens he will be watched around the clock.
“Detectives will monitor him 24/7 to see where he goes and who he talks to.”
Police hope that Christian B may give up key clues while being released, describing him as a “weirdo, a drifter, a creature of habit”.
Cops would be waiting for him to slip up to possibly reveal key clues into the vanishing of Madeleine.
Maddie was just three-years-old when she vanished from her holiday apartment in Praia da Luz in 2007.
More than 15 years on the mystery continues in one of the most baffling cold cases of all time.
German police however are confident that Christian B – who was living as a vagrant around the resort town at the time – is their man.
But despite the bombshell naming of him as a suspect in 2020, progress in the probe has appeared slow.
And Portuguese detectives have long been skeptical about the German probe’s chances of success.
A police source told The Sun Online: “[Christian B] is known to be a weirdo and a drifter, but he’s also a creature of habit so detectives fully expect him to migrate back towards the places and people he was seeing at the time Maddie vanished.
“This could well throw up new clues.
“A lot of those involved in the search think [Christian B] being out could actually help shine a new light on areas that have been overlooked or even missed.”
Lead prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters spoke out last week as he provided a new statement on Christian B.
The sex offender is serving a seven-year sentence for the 2005 rape of a pensioner in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz.
And Mr Wolters’ team have been trying to get enough evidence to charge him over the disappearance of Madeleine at the same resort 18 months later.
Wolters admitted the probe could carry on for another three years – right up to when Christian B is due to be released form prison.
The revelations will cause fresh heartache for Madeleine’s parents Kate and Gerry, who have been hoping for answers from the German authorities for the past three years.
Mr Wolters said: “The investigation into the Maddie case will take as long as is necessary. If necessary, beyond a possible release of the accused.”
And confirming his team is yet to speak to Kate and Gerry, he added: “There is no contact with the McCann family.”
In June 2020, the German prosecutor declared they had “strong” evidence against Christian B.
And they confidently stated the probe was “90%” there.
He also controversially suggested Madeleine was dead – before later conceding he had no evidence to prove it.
German forensic experts are preparing to analyse items found during a three-day search at a reservoir 30 miles from Praia da Luz that Christian B, 46, once called his “little paradise”.
Asked about claims they were trying to find fibres or clothing linked to Madeleine, Mr Wolters said: “We do not comment on speculation.”