Covert DNA Test Proved Accused Stalker Was Not Madeleine McCann, States Officer
An alleged stalker who insisted to be the missing girl was ruled out after a confidential DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, investigators stated in court.
Stalking Allegations Against McCann Family
Julia Wandelt, twenty-four, is accused of a pattern of threatening behavior against the parents of Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three.
The Polish national flooded Kate and Gerry McCann and their older offspring, Sean and Amelie, with numerous phone calls, messages, voicemails and letters over a period spanning 2022 to this year, and appeared at their home insisting on a DNA test, Leicester crown court previously heard.
Police Testimony
Giving evidence on Tuesday, the chief investigator on the missing person’s case, said he had acted outside normal guidelines to test Wandelt “with the aim she may stop her actions towards the McCann family”.
DCI Mark Cramwell said thirteen individuals had previously claimed to be the abducted child but that: “We would not take DNA without strong belief 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 quite likely not to be Madeleine, I was worried I would have had a lot of people coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’.
“I genuinely have major concerns about approaching the family to say I intend to take DNA from an individual – that could have built up their expectations. It could have been quite emotionally damaging and challenging for the family.”
Forensic Analysis
He said the police had previously assessed Wandelt not to be Madeleine on account of no physical similarity and that she was two years older than the child. But, he said, after learning Leicester police planned to arrest Wandelt on harassment allegations, he “made the decision that the DNA would be taken during detention”.
He stated: “A comparison took place. It absolutely confirmed that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.”
Court Proceedings
Jurors learned that in April this year, Cranwell saw Wandelt while detained and told her that her DNA had been compared to Madeleine’s and that the profiles did not match. The jury heard he told Wandelt at that meeting: “You are not Madeleine McCann.”
The court heard that during their conversation, Wandelt said: “Do you truly desire to find Madeleine?”, and the detective told the jury he replied: “Yes.”
He said notwithstanding the evidence, he believed Wandelt “might claim we have tampered with the sample”, adding: “It was possible she would not believe she cannot be Madeleine despite being given scientific proof.”
Psychological Toll
During previous hearings, the court heard how the relatives were left frightened and upset by their “creepy” and “deeply disturbing” interactions with Wandelt and her alleged accomplice Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as the two women attempted to insist on a DNA test.
The jury were told how the pair made ever more strange plans” to acquire Kate McCann’s DNA, which included going through the McCanns’ bins and taking forks from restaurants that they had eaten in.
The accused women both deny one count of stalking. The trial continues.