The prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has been charged with several sexual offences allegedly committed in Portugal between 2000 and 2017, German prosecutors have said.

Convicted sex offender Christian Brueckner is accused of committing five offences between 2000 and 2017 in Portugal, the public prosecutor’s office in Braunschweig said, with the charges not related to the McCann case.

Investigators reportedly believe the 45-year-old killed Madeleine, then three, after abducting her from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3 2007.

Brueckner, who has reportedly denied any involvement in the case, was identified as a suspect in the McCann case by Portuguese officials in June 2020.

When did Madeleine McCann go missing?

Madeleine was three years old when she went missing on May 3 2007 while on holiday in Portugal.

Her disappearance sparked one of the most high-profile missing persons searches in history.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann have vowed to never give up looking for their daughter.