Madeleine McCann was 'killed soon after she was abducted', says German prosecutor
MADELEINE McCANN is believed to have been killed "relatively quickly" after she was abducted, a German prosecutor has said.
Madeleine McCann: Expert discusses new information in case
Hans Christian Wolters, the German prosecutor leading the investigation into Christian B - the new prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, said he fears the toddler was killed shortly after she was kidnapped. The child vanished from a resort in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007, and until now little progress has been made in uncovering the mystery surrounding her disappearance.
But last week German prosecutors announced they suspected a 43-year-old man had kidnapped the child and later murdered her.
When discussing the ongoing investigation, Mr Wolters said: “My private opinion is that he relatively quickly killed the girl, possibly abused her and then killed her.
"We believe our suspect committed further crimes, especially sexual crimes, in Portugal possibly but also elsewhere like Germany.”
The German prosecutor also issued a fresh appeal for information amid fears the suspect could be released from prison.
Mr Wolters said Christian B could be freed from jail today, if a court in Kiel, northern Germany, granted him parole because he has served two thirds of his sentence.
The man is serving 21 months for drug offences.
Last December he was also convicted of the rape of a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 - two years before Maddie's disappearance.
But the man is appealing the seven-year sentence imposed for the crime.
As a result, Mr Wolters is keen to mount a strong case relating to Madeleine's abduction - to ensure he doesn't walk free or flee the country.
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Mr Wolters told The Times: “The sooner we get evidence, the better for us to avoid the risk of him ever being released.
“If we find nothing new against him it could be that in seven years at the latest he may be released and leaves Germany for a country that doesn’t extradite.
“If we don’t solve the McCann case perhaps we can prove he committed one or two other crimes, which might be enough to keep him in prison permanently in preventive detention.”
Police across Europe are now reviewing unsolved child disappearances, murders, and rapes to establish whether the same suspect was responsible for the crimes.
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Investigations have opened up into whether Christian B could have been involved in the disappearance of Inga Gehricke and Rene Hasee and the murder of Carola Titze.
The man's former girlfriend also reportedly told his ex-girlfriend he had a "horrible job to do" the night before Maddie vanished.
The Sun reports the night before the three-year-old went missing, the suspect told the woman: “I have a job to do in Praia da Luz tomorrow.
"It’s a horrible job but it’s something I have to do and it will change my life.
"You won’t be seeing me for a while.”
The woman is one of two British former girlfriends who had been dating the convicted German drug dealer while he was living in the Praia da Luz area.
Both women have now given evidence to the police and say they fear the man will hurt them if their identities are disclosed.