Madeleine McCann case police search garden allotment in Hanover

Madeleine McCann disappearance suspect drops early release bid as police search Hanover allotment.

The German pedophile who is the main suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann has dropped a bid for early release after police began searching a garden allotment in the city of Hanover where the man once lived.

Brunswick prosecutor Julia Meyer on Tuesday night confirmed the search was linked to the toddler’s disappearance.

“I can confirm that the search is being carried out in connection with our investigations into the Maddie McCann case,” Ms Meyer said when asked about the move first reported by a local newspaper.

Police revealed in June that they were investigating a 43-year-old German, identified by local media as Christian B, over the 2007 disappearance of the three-year-old British girl, saying they believe he killed her.

Police officers search the allotment garden in Hanover, Germany. Picture: Getty Images.

Police began searching the site in the early hours of Tuesday morning, clearing trees and using an excavator to dig up the area.

Several police vehicles were parked along the side, while officers with spades were shovelling in the cordonned-off zone. Police also used a forklift to transport large stones out of the area and witnesses saw police taking several bags from the area.

Ms Meyer gave no details of how the plot was connected to the case or what they were hoping to find.

However Christian B is known to have lived in a trailer in the area and worked in a car repair garage nearby. A witness also told German newspaper Bild that Christian B had previously lived at the allotment.

A police officer and his dog search the allotment garden. Picture: Getty Images.

The Sun newspaper reports that Christian B, who is in jail in Kiel serving 21 months on drug trafficking charges, is due for parole. However he has withdrawn the application for early release and will stay in prison until late January next year.

A seven year jail term for the 2005 rape of an elderly American widow in Praia da Luz is due to start then. Lawyers have appealed against that conviction on a technicality and the European Court of Justice is due to rule soon.

A police officer removes stones from the search area. Picture: AFP.

Madeleine went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on May 3, 2007, a few days before her fourth birthday, as her parents dined with friends at a nearby tapas bar.

Despite an international manhunt, no trace of her has been found, nor has anyone been charged over her disappearance.

Christian B has a history of sex offences, ­including child sex offences and rape. He had applied to be released early on probation after having completed two-thirds of the ­sentence, with a decision still pending.

A court in Brunswick had separately sentenced Christian B to seven years last December for an assault against a 72-year-old American in 2005 in Praia da Luz where Madeleine went missing.

AFP