A DNA test has conclusively proved that Julia Wandelt, accused of stalking the McCann family, is not the missing Madeleine McCann, a court has heard. The 24-year-old Polish national allegedly bombarded Kate and Gerry McCann and their children with hundreds of calls, messages, and letters, and turned up at their home demanding a DNA test.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, the senior investigating officer on Operation Grange, told Leicester Crown Court he went against procedure to test Wandelt in the hope it would stop her behaviour. He explained that 13 people had previously claimed to be Madeleine, but he had avoided DNA tests to prevent setting a precedent that could encourage false claims.
Cranwell said police had already judged Wandelt not to be Madeleine due to a lack of resemblance and an age difference of two years. However, after learning Leicester police planned to arrest her on stalking charges, he decided to take a DNA sample upon arrest. The comparison conclusively proved she is not Madeleine McCann.
The court heard that in April, Cranwell visited Wandelt in custody and told her the DNA did not match, saying: 'You are not Madeleine McCann.' Despite this, he believed she might suggest the sample had been tampered with, adding there was a possibility she would never accept the scientific proof.
Wandelt and her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, are accused of a campaign of harassment that included 'increasingly bizarre plans' to collect Kate McCann's DNA, such as going through bins and taking forks from restaurants. Both deny one count of stalking. The trial continues.
