The prime suspect in the Madeleine McCann case could face a new rape trial after German prosecutors launched a legal bid to overturn his acquittal on a string of sex charges, unrelated to the missing British girl.
Christian B, as he is known under privacy laws, was cleared in October 2024 of five alleged sex offences in Portugal, including the rape of a woman in her holiday apartment and the sexual abuse of children.
But German prosecutors are now fighting to have the verdict overturned - and Germany's highest criminal court has announced that the appeal will be heard on 11 January next year.
Two women involved in the original case have also launched their own appeals against the verdict, which was handed down by Braunschweig Regional Court following a lengthy trial.
Convicted rapist and paedophile Christian B had been accused of committing five offences in Portugal between December 2000 and June 2017.
One of the most shocking allegations concerned the rape of an elderly woman, which prosecutors claimed had been filmed.
But judges ruled that witnesses' descriptions of the alleged video were not enough to establish what had actually happened.
Another charge concerned the rape of Irish woman Hazel Behan, who was attacked in her holiday apartment after a man climbed on to her balcony.
The court accepted that the attack had taken place but ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove Christian B was the attacker.
The 49-year-old was also cleared of sexually abusing a child on a beach in the Portuguese resort of Salema, with judges again ruling that his involvement could not be proven.
Prosecutors are challenging four of the five acquittals, arguing that the original judgment contained legal errors.
The two women are separately appealing against the verdicts relating to the holiday apartment rape and the alleged beach attack.
The case will now go before Germany's Federal Court of Justice in Leipzig at 11am on 11 January 2027.
Judges will decide whether the original court made legal mistakes which could justify overturning the acquittals and ordering a new trial.
Christian B remains the prime suspect in the disappearance of three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007.
He has never been charged over her disappearance and denies any involvement.
Following his release from prison, Christian B has been living in a shipping container in the northern German port city of Kiel.
(c) Sky News 2026: Christian B: Madeleine McCann prime suspect could face new rape trial as prose
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