An accused stalker who claimed to be the missing girl was excluded after a confidential DNA test established beyond doubt she was not the missing girl, police have revealed in court.
Harassment Campaign Towards McCann Family
Julia Wandelt, twenty-four, is alleged to have conducted a campaign of harassment against the relatives of Madeleine, who vanished from a holiday destination in Portugal in 2007 as a three-year-old.
The woman from Poland bombarded Kate and Gerry McCann and their grown-up kids, Sean and Amelie, with countless communications, messages, voicemails and letters from 2022 until recently, and visited their home demanding a DNA test, jurors learned during proceedings.
Investigation Details
Giving evidence on Tuesday, the senior investigating officer on Operation Grange, explained he had acted outside normal guidelines to test Wandelt “with the aim she may stop her conduct towards the McCann family”.
DCI Mark Cramwell said over a dozen persons had previously claimed to be the missing girl but that: “We would not take DNA without strong belief that person was Madeleine because I aimed to prevent setting a precedent.
“If it got out in the media I had taken DNA from someone quite likely not to be Madeleine, I was worried I would have had many persons coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’.
“I sincerely hold major concerns about reaching out to the family to say I aim to take DNA from an individual – that could have built up their expectations. It could have been quite emotionally damaging and difficult for the family.”
DNA Comparison
He said investigators had already judged Wandelt not to be Madeleine on account of no physical similarity and that she was older by two years than the missing girl. But, he said, after discovering Leicester police intended to detain Wandelt on stalking charges, he “decided that the DNA would be taken upon arrest”.
He said: “Testing was conducted. It absolutely confirmed that Julia Wandelt is definitely not Madeleine McCann.”
Jury Hearings
The court heard that in April this year, the detective saw Wandelt while detained and stated to her that her DNA had been matched against Madeleine’s and that the genetic markers did not match. The court learned he told Wandelt at that meeting: “You are not Madeleine McCann.”
Testimony indicated that throughout their discussion, Wandelt asked: “Do you sincerely wish to find Madeleine?”, and the officer told the jury he replied: “Yes.”
He said despite the test, he believed Wandelt “might claim we have tampered with the sample”, remarking: “There was a possibility she would never accept she isn't Madeleine despite being given scientific proof.”
Family Impact
In prior court sessions, the court heard how the McCanns were left terrified and traumatized by their “unnerving” and “extremely troubling” interactions with Wandelt and her alleged accomplice Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as both defendants attempted to insist on a DNA test.
The jury were told how the defendants made “increasingly bizarre plans” to obtain Kate McCann’s DNA, which included searching the McCanns’ bins and removing cutlery from restaurants that the McCanns dined at.
The accused women both deny one count of stalking. The trial continues.
