Madeleine McCann case breakthrough as ‘most important witness’ WILL testify against Christian B

A CRUCIAL witness in a child rape case against Christian B – the prime suspect in Maddie McCann’s disappearance – will once again testify against him in court.

Christian B‘s lawyer claimed former pal-turned-police informer Helge ­B – whose testimony once helped put him away for seven years – was lying about evidence.

Christian B was named as the prime suspect in Maddie’s case in 2020

The Sun

Herge B – former friend of Christian B – first told cops to look at him in the Maddie case[/caption]

AFP

Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007[/caption]

But German judge has thrown out the claims that Helge was making false statements.

And now Helge, who has been dubbed the most important witness against Christian B, is set to once again prove vital in a case against the convicted rapist next month.

Helge first put cops onto Christian B’s case as the prime suspect in Madeleine‘s disappearance back in 2018.

A source close to the Maddie investigation previously told The Sun that Helge described Christian B’s boasts about being a “master criminal” after allegedly snatching her.

He claimed that he had stolen a camera and videotapes showing Christian B raping several women – evidence which helped put him behind bars for the rape of a 72-year-old American woman.

Christian B – who is suspected of having kidnapped and murdered Maddie in 2007 – is now being investigated for other sexual crimes.

But the case – referring to the sexual assault of children – is an important piece of the puzzle in investigating Christian B.

The convicted rapist’s lawyer claimed that Helge – dubbed the most important witness in the case against his client – was lying about the tapes.

Helge originally said he probably left the incriminating video tapes in his caravan in Portugal before he left the country.

But last year, while being interviewed about Maddie, he said he may have left them at a holiday home he was living in at the time.

Christian B’s defence lawyer Dr. Friedrich Fülscher then reported him to prosecutors for making false statements.

But a judge has since ruled there is no evidence he was lying, meaning Helge is set to testify at the Braunschweig Regional Court in February.

They argue he never claimed to know specifically where he left the tapes, and was just guessing.

Prosecutors also said a false statement would be of no benefit to him, and that he appears to want to find them.

It is also thought that Helge first told other witnesses about the disturbing videos in 2006 – before Maddie was taken.

In June last year, Helge gave his first public comments on Maddie’s kidnapping in an interview with Bild.

He revealed the moment that Christian B “confessed” to snatching the little girl.

Speaking about his former pal in the two-hour interview, he revealed how his blood ran cold the day the convicted paedophile told him that “she didn’t scream” shortly after Maddie disappeared from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz.

He also described the chilling footage he allegedly saw on a video camera he stole from the suspect.

The petty criminal and burglar said he first met Christian B around the time Maddie vanished from her parents’ holiday home in Praia da Luz in 2007.

He also told Bild at the time how the pair discovered a video showing a tied-up woman “70 or 80 years old” being abused.

“At the end of the video, he sat down on the bed and pulled down the mask. Then I saw that it was B,” he said.

After Helge testified to this in court Christian was sentenced to seven years for the rape of a pensioner in 2005 in the Portuguese resort.