A suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann is set to be charged with the rape of an Irish woman in 2004.
Christian B is suspected of attacking Irish tour representative Hazel Behan in her Portugal apartment, which is just half an hour drive away from where Madeleine vanished aged three years old in 2007.
German cops hope to charge the sex offender “within the next three months," the Sunday Times reports.
Irish woman Hazel Behan was 20 at the time of the attack and contacted British police after she read of a similar sex attack he commited.
Hazel Behan was living in Portugal's Algarve when she was attacked for up to five hours by a masked and machete-wielding stranger in her flat in Praia da Rocha, about 15 miles from the resort where Madeleine disappeared in 2007.
She has told how she became physically sick when she learned that the McCann suspect, Christian B, was convicted of brutally raping and assaulting an American woman in Praia da Luz.
Christian B is in jail in Germany for the rape of a 71-year-old woman in 2005.
He became a a “significant” chief suspect in the Madeleine case in 2020.
It comes as Madeleine McCann's parents said at the start of the year that their 'determination' to find their little girl 'remains steadfast'.
Kate and Gerry McCann took to their official website to reinforce their 'hope' of finding Maddie and send well wishes to those who've suffered in 2020.
The statement read: "Goodbye 2020. What a year! One we don't want to remember but will find it hard to forget.
"There's no doubt that 2020 has been tough for most people, and often distressing, with so much loss, worry and isolation.
"Despite losing a parent each, we are aware we have been more fortunate than many, with our family unit at home and jobs to go to."
The couple, from Rothley in Leicestershire, acknowledged the investigation to find Madeleine had understandably been forced to slow down as a result of the pandemic.
They added: "It hasn't stopped, however, and the hope, energy and determination to find her and uncover the truth remain steadfast.
"We are very grateful for the continued support, especially throughout this 'rubbish' year and for all the Christmas wishes too. Thank-you.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who has suffered this year. Let's hope 2021 is a brighter, more positive one."
Madeleine was nearly four when she went missing from her family's holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, on Portugal's Algarve, on May 3, 2007.
Scotland Yard confirmed earlier this year it has no plans to end its missing person investigation, despite the belief of German prosecutors that Madeleine was murdered.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the force is working "really, really closely" with the German authorities, but does not expect them to share all of their evidence.
A suspect in the German inquiry, Christian B, was told last November that he will remain behind bars until 2026, after losing a bid to overturn a rape conviction.
He was last year found guilty of the 2005 rape of a 72-year-old American woman in the same Portuguese resort and sentenced to seven years in jail, at a court in Brunswick, Lower Saxony.
The 43-year-old German national - referred to as Christian B in Germany due to the country's strict privacy laws - was identified as a suspect in the Madeleine investigation last June.
