MADELEINE McCann suspect Christian B is moving to a maximum security prison ahead of questioning in the New Year.
The convicted paedophile and rapist 43, is currently serving a 21-month drugs sentence and is in isolation for his own safety.
In January, that term will end and he will be moved from Kiel maximum security prison to one 200 miles south in Lower Saxony at either Celle or Wolfenbuttel.
Both are Category A maximum security.
Christian B has already spent time in Wolfenbuttel when he was on remand ahead of his trial last year for raping a 72-year-old woman in Praia da Luz in 2005 – just two years before Madeleine vanished.
MAXIMUM SECURITY
Judges at Germany’s Federal court confirmed the sentence earlier this month and while on remand investigators used an informant to spy on him to gain evidence for their investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance.
The move will make it easier for prosecutors based at Braunsweig to question him in connection with the Madeleine case, and two other sex crimes they are trying to pin on him.
Christian B was identified as the prime suspect in the Madeleine disappearance last June by German investigators.
They said they had ”concrete evidence” she was dead and that he was responsible, although no charges have been brought yet.
‘CONCRETE EVIDENCE’
A source close to the case said: ”(Christian B) hasn’t been questioned yet in connection with the Madeleine inquiry as the evidence is still being gathered and checked but the idea is to wait until he is closer to where the team are based.
”A 640km round trip (400 miles) every week would waste a lot of time and resources and now we know he will be in prison until 2026 we know where he is and we can get to him easier.
”The feeling is though he won’t say anything even when we do see him but at least it will make it easier.”
Prosecutor Hans Christian Wolters told The Sun: ”In Germany, the execution of sentences is basically the federal state in which the conviction took place.
”This also has cost reasons, because each federal state only wants to pay for the execution of sentences for which it is itself responsible.”
Lawyer Friedrich Fulscher, who is defending him and insists the police have the wrong man, said: ”It’s very likely he will be transferred in January but I have no comment to make.”