A convicted child sex attacker has been arrested in Malta in relation to the Madeleine McCann case. Roderick McDonald was on the run following a previous conviction.

McDonald was reportedly living in the Algarve around the time that Madeleine disappeared. He is due to be questioned about his possible connection with a paedophile ring who could be responsible for her disappearance.

According to the Telegraph, police have been investigating 18 possible linked break-ins at Algarve villas by a lone intruder from 2004 to 2010.

He is currently wanted in the UK for abuse charges, absconding and failing to inform police of his new name or his location.

McDonald was previously accused of raping an eight-year-old girl in Australia and abusing two girls in Brighton.

Madeleine disappeared during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 as her parents were eating in a near-by restaurant.