A german man named as a leading suspect in the disappearance of British toddler, Madeleine McCann, has been charged with multiple unrelated sex offences, with some incidents involving underage victims. Known in the press as 'Christian B', the man has been accused of carrying out at least five offences over a seventeen-year period.
The suspect, who has not been charged in relation to the McCann case, will stand trial after accusations of three counts of rape and two counts of child sexual abuse, taking place between 2000 and 2017, have been made. The alleged offences are reported to have occurred in Portugal, close to the area that McCann vanished from back in 2007.
Christian B has denied any involvement and wrongdoing in relation to the McCann case. Despite this, police have openly said they believe the 45-year-old is responsible for murdering McCann, after abducting her from a holiday apartment as her parents were out for dinner close by.
The 45-year-old has also been charged with the alleged rape of a woman in her seventies, who claims Christian attacked her in a holiday apartment, along with the alleged rape of a then 20-year-old irishwoman in Praia da Rocha in 2004 and an attack on a teenage girl in her home (in Praia da Luz). The authorities have said there is reason to believe that he may have filmed some of these awful assaults.
Currently, the known sex offender is already serving a seven year sentence for rape in Portugal in 2005.
Furthering the list of his charges, the suspect is also accused of indecently exposing himself to a 10-year-old German girl in Faro in 2007, and ten years on, to an 11-year old Portuguese girl in Bartolomeu de Messines in 2017.
In a statement, the prosecutor in Braunschweig, Germany, said: "The investigation concerning the case of Madeleine McCann is ongoing separately from these charges. Due to the ongoing investigation the prosecution cannot at the current time give any information on the status of that investigation."
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
