Mr Rebelo

'There are huge profits being made from child pornography. I have had to watch some of the films in the course of my work and they are disgusting beyond belief.'

Contacts in major Western countries, including the US, Britain and Germany, use Russian mafia gangs to obtain photographs and films that cannot be made elsewhere.

they are disgusting beyond belief

The revelation comes after detectives smashed Portugal's biggest child-sex ring but failed to establish any connection with Madeleine.

Paulo Rebelo, the new head of the inquiry, has ordered his hand-picked team of detectives to target online child sex rings.
Investigators are now probing a sighting of a blonde-haired woman seen acting suspiciously outside the holiday apartment from where Madeleine disappeared on May 3.

A British woman who owns a local restaurant told police she spotted the suspect ' dressed in a light-coloured trench coat ' peering into the window of Madeleine's bedroom shortly before 10pm that night.

The witness was driving her car past the Ocean Club complex in Praia da Luz when she saw the woman ' who turned away after being caught in her headlights.

The restaurant owner gave a detailed statement to Portuguese detectives. It is understood the sighting was dismissed by investigators who were convinced Madeleine had not been abducted and had died inside the apartment.

But police are set to look into it again as the investigation gains new intensity. Madeleine's parents, Kate and Gerry, insist their daughter was snatched from her bed as they dined nearby with friends.

They believe Madeleine's abductors may have been watching the apartment for up to six days.

Mr Rebelo has re-opened the line of inquiry that Madeleine could have been taken by a sexual predator. One theory being investigated is that the four-year-old was snatched by a couple ' as a woman would provide perfect cover for the crime. In the days after the youngster vanished a series of sightings were reported of a girl who matched Madeleine's description with a man and a blonde-haired woman.

Detectives are expected to now investigate whether the pair may have been working for a Russian-based network which set out to snatch a little blonde child to order.

The Algarve has a growing Russian community largely made up of migrant workers ' many of them in the country illegally ' who flood the region to work in bars and hotels. Detectives have interviewed Russian ex-pats and asked if they were aware of a 'suspicious couple' in the area at the time Madeleine disappeared.

It is thought the network is operating in Portugal because of its lax sex offence laws. Portugal is one of only two countries in Europe without a sex offenders' register.

Detectives searching for Madeleine have been in contact with Russian counterparts who have supplied a list of known sex offenders who live in the Algarve or travel to the region.

Russian police have also been asked to scan through tens of thousands of images looking for Madeleine.

The British-based Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, which is spearheading the fight against global internet paedophile rings, has also been liaising with Portuguese police.

In the days after Madeleine disappeared two experts from the organisation arrived in Praia da Luz to help the investigation.

Child trafficking has become a massive business in lawless former Soviet bloc countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

A source said: 'Madeleine is a pretty blonde child who unfortunately fits the profile of these evil perverts. The idea that Madeleine has been snatched by one of these gangs is entirely plausible.'

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After Madeleine disappeared, Russian computer expert Sergey Malinka, 22, was questioned by detectives and his laptops and hard drives were seized.

He was quizzed as a witness after he was found to be linked to Robert Murat ' the British ex-pat who was the first formal suspect.

Malinka was never accused of any wrongdoing and Murat, 33, looks set to be officially cleared by detectives.