Covert DNA Test Verified Accused Stalker Was Not Madeleine McCann, Reports Officer
An alleged stalker who claimed to be Madeleine McCann was eliminated after a covert DNA test proved conclusively she was not the long-lost child, police have revealed in court.
Targeted Behavior Targeting McCann Family
Julia Wandelt, aged 24, is accused of a stalking campaign against the relatives of Madeleine, who disappeared from a Portuguese resort in Portugal in 2007 as a three-year-old.
The Polish national overwhelmed Kate and Gerry McCann and their adult children, Sean and Amelie, with hundreds of calls, messages, voicemails and letters between 2022 and earlier this year, and visited their home demanding a DNA test, the court was earlier informed.
Investigation Details
Providing testimony on Tuesday, the senior investigating officer on Madeleine's disappearance, explained he had acted outside normal guidelines to test Wandelt “intending she may stop her conduct towards the McCann family”.
The senior officer said over a dozen persons had earlier asserted to be the missing girl but that: “We would not take DNA without strong belief that person was Madeleine because I did not want setting a precedent.
“If it became known in the media I had taken DNA off an individual probably not to be Madeleine, I was worried I would have had a lot of people coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’.
“I sincerely hold major concerns about contacting the family to say I intend to take DNA from an individual – that could have given them false hope. It could have been quite emotionally damaging and challenging for the family.”
DNA Comparison
He said the police had previously assessed Wandelt not to be Madeleine on account of dissimilar appearance and that she was older by two years than the child. But, he said, after learning Leicester police intended to detain Wandelt on stalking charges, he “decided that the DNA would be taken during detention”.
He declared: “Testing was conducted. It absolutely confirmed that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.”
Court Proceedings
Proceedings revealed that in April this year, the detective saw Wandelt in custody and stated to her that her DNA had been compared to Madeleine’s and that the genetic markers did not match. Jurors were told he told Wandelt while speaking with her: “You are not Madeleine McCann.”
Testimony indicated that during their conversation, Wandelt asked: “Do you sincerely wish to find Madeleine?”, and Cranwell told the jury he answered: “Yes.”
He said even with the results, he believed Wandelt “could allege we have interfered with the sample”, adding: “There was a possibility she would never accept she is not Madeleine despite being given scientific proof.”
Psychological Toll
In prior court sessions, testimony revealed how the family were left scared and distressed by their “disturbing” and “deeply disturbing” interactions with Wandelt and the other accused Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as both defendants attempted to demand a DNA test.
The court learned how the pair made progressively odd plans” to obtain 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 trial continues.
