Kate McCann has appeared in court to give evidence in Julia Wandelt’s trial (Picture: Joe Giddens/PA Wire)
A woman who became convinced she is the missing Madeleine McCann cried out,‘Why are you doing this to me?’ as Kate McCann gave evidence.
Julia Wandelt,a Polish national,is on trial at Leicester Crown Court,accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann as well as their other children.
Wandelt,who is on trial alongside 61-year-old Karen Spragg,is accused of turning up at the McCanns’ family home and signing a letter addressed to them as Madeleine.
Wandelt,24,claimed she is the missing girl who disappeared from a holiday villa in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 and remains unsolved.
A court artist sketch of Julia Wandelt (left) and Karen Spragg (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)
Wandelt has denied wrongdoing (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)The father broke down when he described to the court how Wandelt reached out to his other children.‘We’d done our best to try and protect them,’ he said. ‘As a parent,you want to protect your children.’Gerry said that he and Kate encountered the two defendants on the evening of December 24 last year.Kate phoned Gerry,saying she was ‘accosted’ by Wandelt and ‘another woman’ as she went inside her home.‘She was very distressed… her voice,she was clearly upset,we all know when people are affected and she clearly was,’ Gerry said.He drove home to find a white car parked nearby and the two defendants on McCann’s drive.
Madeleine McCann has been missing for 18 years (Picture: PA Archive/PA Images)In an exchange that was recorded without Gerry’s knowledge,he was heard telling Wandelt: ‘You’re not Madeleine,please don’t hassle us.’When questioned by Spragg’s barrister,Russell Flint KC,why he didn’t agree to a DNA test with Wandelt,Gerry said he had three reasons.He said: ‘We didn’t believe she was Madeleine,we’d been reassured by the Metropolitan Police following their investigations within Poland she was who her name is.‘Lastly,it’s not our responsibility to do a DNA test,it’s a matter for investigative forces.’Kate told the court earlier that she ignored all the defendant’s approaches until September 2024,when she realised Wandelt had been contacting her other daughter,Amelie,since January of that year.She told the court: ‘It was the final straw for me. I discussed it with the police.’Prosecutor Michael Duck KC read excerpts of messages Wandelt sent to Kate,in which the defendant said ‘let me prove I am not a liar’ and ‘give me a chance,I don’t want money’.
Julia Wandelt is accused of stalking the McCanns (Picture: Gogetfunding)A voicemail sent to Kate by Wandelt was played to the court,the BBC reports,which said: ‘If I am her,then everything should be OK but if I’m not,which you probably think,then I’ll leave you alone.‘I know my accent is Polish because I live here… I’m not pretty like Madeleine but I know what I know and I know and what I remember.‘Please give me a chance,you don’t give up on your daughter,I’m not crazy.’After confirming that she remembered the messages ‘arriving’ on her mobile phone,Kate was asked by Mr Duck if she responded.She answered: ‘No. I did not want to engage.’Kate was then asked about a visit Wandelt and Spragg made to the McCanns’ home on December 7 of last year.
The youngster vanished only days before her fourth birthday (Picture: AFP)She recalled: ‘I pulled up on the drive… it was really dark,it was the weekend,we had the gales.‘I was opening the boot to get something out and I heard someone say “Kate”.‘I knew it was someone behind me,but I didn’t know who it was. I had pictures of her (Wandelt),plus she was quite vivid in my mind anyway because of the communications.‘She called me mum,I think,she was asking for a DNA test,“why won’t you do a DNA test?” and pleading with me.‘I got a fright anyway; when I realised who it was,I felt quite distressed.‘Then they followed me,I remember trying to close the door and Julia trying to put her hands out to stop me closing the door.’Kate described Spragg as being ‘slightly more aggressive’ than Wandelt during the visit,adding: ‘She was a bit more kind of… “don’t you want to find your daughter?”‘When asked if she wanted the women there,and whether she had made that obvious,Kate replied: ‘I did. I told them to leave. I told them I was distressed.’Letter posted to Kate and Gerry McCann in full
A letter signed ‘Madeleine X’ was posted through the door of Madeleine McCann’s parents’ home the day after Karen Spragg and Julia Wandelt attended the property,Leicester crown court heard.
The letter,which was posted through the letterbox on December 8,read:
‘Dear Mum (Kate),
I’m so sorry for causing you so much distress,but when I saw you yesterday,my emotions were so strong. I felt a close connection to you.
‘I don’t like to see you being upset.
‘All I want is to find out the truth. I have memories and I have gathered a lot of evidences supporting my case.
I think that inside your heart you believe and know who I am and I am your daughter.
‘I don’t understand why you don’t want to do a DNA test with me. I think you are scared,but whatever makes you scared,just remember that you are stronger than that.
‘Yesterday,I heard a lot of care and love in your voice. I believe and I hope that you will find a way to contact me.
Lots of love,Madeleine X’
She phoned her husband after managing to get inside her home and lock the door.
As the prosecution finished asking Kate questions,Wandelt sobbed loudly and shouted: ‘Why are you doing this to me?’
Officers escorted her out of the dock as she continued to cry uncontrollably.
Wandelt and Spragg,of Caerau Court Road in Caerau,Cardiff,both deny a count of stalking causing serious alarm and distress to Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February 2025.
The trial continues.
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