Protesters have gathered in northern Germany demanding the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann be ousted from where they live.
More than 150 demonstrators assembled over the whereabouts of convicted paedophile and rapist Christian B, 48.
He is suspected by German police of abducting three-year-old Madeleine from her parents’ holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007.
He denies all involvement in the case and he has never been charged.
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Alex Ehmke, 49, who runs a local informal information exchange Facebook group, said: “I’m a father and have two daughters and so I take this seriously.
“I do accept the idea that a released prisoner needs to be able to be given the space to reintegrate into society – but there’s a difference between that and letting a person so boldly strut around the place.”
Christian B was released from prison in Germany in September after serving a seven-year sentence for the rape of a woman in Praia da Luz in 2005.
Since then, he has been unable to settle because many hotels evict him once they realise who he is, and he has also been turned away by some homeless shelters.
Read more:
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Local residents began posting supposed sightings of him, while others demanded he be removed from the area. Some even called for violent action against him.
Police then moved Christian B for his own safety, after which he made a surprise appearance in Braunschweig.
He turned up at the public prosecutor’s office there, where he had been made the prime suspect in July 2020.
Here, Christian B demanded an audience with chief prosecutor Hans-Christian Wolters, who he holds responsible for the current situation he is now in.
Protester Annika P said: “We are here today because we must raise our voices – for our children, for our families, for safety in our streets and our neighbourhoods.”
The protesters demanded that authorities not only stop placing sex offenders in residential areas but also be transparent with the public about their decisions.
Fellow demonstrator Denise P, 38, added: “I’m not against reintegration but a person like this needs locking up in preventive detention or at least put in a facility where he is monitored properly by professionals.
“The ankle [tag] is also not sufficient as a form of protection. We need more protection for victims – protection for victims placed before protection for perpetrators.”
