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An accused stalker who claimed to be the missing girl was excluded after a secret DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, police have revealed in court.

Harassment Campaign Against McCann Family

Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of a stalking campaign against the parents of Madeleine, who went missing from a holiday destination in Portugal in 2007 as a three-year-old.

The Polish national overwhelmed Kate and Gerry McCann and their grown-up kids, Sean and Amelie, with hundreds of calls, messages, voicemails and letters between 2022 and earlier this year, and turned up at their home demanding a DNA test, Leicester crown court previously heard.

Investigation Details

Giving evidence on Tuesday, the chief investigator on Madeleine's disappearance, explained he had deviated from protocol to test Wandelt “in the hope she may stop her conduct towards the McCann family”.

The senior officer said over a dozen persons had previously claimed to be the abducted child but that: “We would not take DNA only if convinced that person was Madeleine because I aimed to prevent setting a precedent.

“If it was revealed in the media I had taken DNA from a person probably not to be Madeleine, I was anxious I would have had many persons coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’.

“I sincerely hold major concerns about contacting the family to say I plan to take DNA from an individual – that could have built up their expectations. It could have been very traumatic and difficult for the family.”

Genetic Testing

He said the police had previously assessed Wandelt not to be Madeleine on account of dissimilar appearance and that she was two years older than the missing girl. But, he said, after finding out Leicester police were going to take into custody Wandelt on stalking charges, he “decided that the DNA would be taken during detention”.

He said: “A comparison took place. It absolutely confirmed that Julia Wandelt is definitely not Madeleine McCann.”

Legal Testimony

Jurors learned that in April this year, Cranwell met with Wandelt in custody and informed her that her DNA had been matched against Madeleine’s and that the samples did not match. Jurors were told he told Wandelt at that meeting: “You are not Madeleine McCann.”

Testimony indicated that during their conversation, Wandelt said: “Do you really want to find Madeleine?”, and the detective told the jury he responded: “Yes.”

He said notwithstanding the evidence, he believed Wandelt “could allege we have interfered with the sample”, stating: “There was a possibility she would refuse to acknowledge she is not Madeleine notwithstanding scientific proof.”

Family Impact

In prior court sessions, jurors learned how the relatives were left frightened and upset by their “unnerving” and “deeply disturbing” interactions with Wandelt and her alleged accomplice Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as both defendants attempted to push for a DNA test.

The jury were told how the defendants made “increasingly bizarre plans” to collect Kate McCann’s DNA, which included rummaging in the McCanns’ bins and taking forks from restaurants that the family visited.

Both defendants both refute one count of stalking. The case remains active.