German police transfer files on Madeleine McCann suspect to British investigators

German police have handed files to British investigators concerning the 49-year-old convicted sex offender under scrutiny in the Madeleine McCann case. The files contain material from a hard drive with image files from Portugal dating to the period when the child vanished.

German investigators consider these files central to their understanding of the case. Among the evidence are photographs depicting the suspect unclothed at a location previously examined by detectives.

the suspect The suspect currently resides in a converted shipping container in the northern German city of Kiel under round-the-clock police observation. German authorities have issued instructions to protect him from potential threats. A court hearing last week on his appeal against a six-week sentence for verbally abusing a prison officer was postponed after his defence lawyer reported illness.

Prosecutors are also pursuing an appeal against rape charges of which he was acquitted in 2024.

Investigation status Operation Grange remains classified as a missing person inquiry, given that the child has never been confirmed dead or alive since disappearing from Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Any move to extradite the suspect would require upgrading the investigation to a murder case.

British police stated their investigation into the disappearance has been active since 2011 and that they remain in close discussion with policing colleagues in Germany and Portugal.