A DNA sample from Madeleine McCann's pillowcase does not match that of a woman accused of stalking her family, a court has heard. Forensic scientist Rosalyn Hammond told Leicester Crown Court that the profiles from the two samples are different, ruling out any possibility that Julia Wandelt is the missing girl.
Ms Hammond, who has worked on Madeleine's case since 2012, said: 'The profiles from the two samples are different so Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.' She explained that only seven out of 32 components matched, adding that the result 'writes off the possibility that DNA is from the same person'.
The court also heard that Wandelt, 24, from Poland, 'is not the biological child of Kate and Gerry McCann'. Ms Hammond confirmed that DNA from a blood sample taken shortly after Madeleine's birth matches the pillowcase profile and is consistent with being from the McCanns' biological child, but Wandelt's DNA does not match either parent.
Wandelt and her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, deny one count of stalking. Prosecutors allege they peddled the myth that Wandelt was Madeleine, who disappeared in 2007 in Portugal, while stalking the McCanns via emails, phone calls, and visits between June 2022 and February this year.
The trial continues.
