The freed suspect in the Madeleine McCann case has come out of hiding to confront the prosecutor who has accused him of the British toddler’s murder.
Christian B, who cannot be fully identified under German privacy laws, travelled for hours to try to speak to lawyer Hans Christian Wolters.
Mr Wolters has stated publicly that he has evidence, which he has not revealed, to show that Christian B abducted and killed Madeleine, who vanished from her bed during a Portuguese holiday in 2007.
Christian B denies any involvement in her disappearance.
The suspect, who was released from a rape sentence two weeks ago, told Sky News in an exclusive interview: “The prosecutor refused to meet me, but I told his representative I wanted his help to get my life back.
“I’m being hounded by the media, and it’s his fault. I want him to take responsibility.
“I was told there was nothing they could do to help. I had been convicted and released, and I wasn’t their responsibility.”
Christian B, 49, was driven from jail by his lawyer Friedrich Fulscher on 17 September and, since then, has lived in local authority accommodation in the town of Neumunster, north of Hamburg.
Journalists quickly tracked him down and exposed his new address, prompting anger in the community from people worried about his convictions for child sex crimes.
Local councillor Karin Mundt of the hard-right populist movement, Heimat Neumunster (Homeland Neumunster), took to Facebook to warn locals to be vigilant, not go out alone, and make sure that their children and elderly were safe.
She also called for a public protest under the slogan ‘Christian B. out of Neumunster – tougher measures against child abusers and rapists to protect all citizens!’
Germany operates draconian privacy laws, whereby even the media must get the consent of someone they photograph, or disguise their features.
Yet the group even decided to publish photos of Christian B, arguing that the danger he presents means he was a public person of interest, and that they had to make sure that elderly people were able to recognise him.
Two separate chat groups were set up, one dedicated to campaigning for Christian B to be booted out of Neumunster, the other to discuss alleged sightings of him.
Some claimed that Christian B had turned up near schools and that the police were called round, though other people said they worked at these schools, and that no police had been there.
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A woman at Domino’s pizza claimed that Christian B had turned up in a false beard, yet just days later, her colleague said she had seen the pictures and she was unsure that it was Christian B.
And throughout all this, a source close to Christian B’s defence claimed that he had not been out at all apart from to sort out his phone, and also once for a steak.
On Wednesday, one chat even discussed gathering at the town hall in the evening, and police vans then turned up to try to prevent this.
But the language of the chat became ever bolder – with people openly posting addresses they were convinced he was living at – and at one point, all people with English-sounding surnames were ejected from the group as people suspected they were journalists.
Explainer: What we know about Christian B
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Police quickly moved Christian B out of Neumunster, and reports he has since been spotted at a hotel in an unnamed town.
In a recent interview with Germany’s Stern magazine, Christian B’s main lawyer Dr Fulscher said: “The Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office has fuelled this media campaign of prejudgment.
“It has told the public that it is certain it has the right person. Without presenting sufficient evidence or even allowing my client to inspect the files.
“I find this highly questionable from a constitutional point of view. In my opinion, the Braunschweig public prosecutor’s office has made rehabilitation impossible.”
Prosecutor Mr Wolters told Sky News today that he’d been tipped off about the suspect’s visit to his office in Braunschweig near Hanover and refused to speak to him.
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Christian B was released from Sehnde prison, near Hannover, earlier this month after a prosecutor failed to find enough evidence to charge him in the Madeleine case.
As part of his release conditions, he’s been fitted with an electronic ankle tag, has had to surrender his passport, and register his permanent address with probation officers.
