Matt Taylor and
George Torr,Leicester
Julia WandeltThe alleged stalker of Madeleine McCann’s parents broke down in tears and told a court she “did not do anything wrong” while under cross-examination.
Julia Wandelt, 24, is on trial at Leicester Crown Court alongside Karen Spragg, 61, accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, causing serious alarm and distress.
The jury has heard she has repeatedly claimed she is the missing child and on Thursday while in the witness box, she was visibly and audibly emotional as she said: “Actually, I don’t care any more. I’m just exhausted with it.”
Miss Wandelt, a Polish national, has also denied altering images sent to Madeleine’s sister, Amelie, to try to make her look more like the missing child.
The pair are accused of “peddling the myth” Miss Wandelt is Madeleine while stalking Mr and Mrs McCann by sending emails, making phone calls, leaving voicemails and turning up at their address.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC had asked Miss Wandelt, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, about the fact she had no replies from the immediate McCann family to any messages or calls she made to them.
Mr Duck KC said: “Did you then appreciate they did not want contact?”
Miss Wandelt said “no” before beginning to cry and adding: “I just couldn’t believe the parents of a missing child would not want to follow the lead.
“Why am I standing here? I did not do anything wrong.”
Madeleine McCann’s disappearance on 3 May 2007 at the age of three in Portugal is one of the most widely reported missing child cases and remains unsolved.
Later on Thursday, there was another outburst from Miss Wandelt in the witness box, as she turned away from the prosecutor and began to cry.
It came after Mr Duck KC asked: “There is absolutely no scientific evidence to connect you with the McCann family is there?”
In a raised voice, Miss Wandelt said: “I don’t care any more. If people say I’m not, I’m OK with it.
“I am absolutely exhausted with it. I just want to know who I am.”
Mr Duck KC then said: “The evidence has exposed what you are doing.”
In response, the defendant said: “I do believe I am her. I remember them.
“But I am just exhausted. I am willing to say I agree with this because I am exhausted.”
PA MediaMr Duck KC later referred to one-sided communications from Miss Wandelt towards Kate McCann on 13 April 2024, during which there were texts, calls and voicemails over a 75-minute period.
One message to Mrs McCann read: “I beg you to stop blocking my number… you are my real mother.”
The prosecutor asked: “On the 13 April, do you accept your approaches to the McCann were unwanted?”
Miss Wandelt said: “No.”
Mr Duck KC also asked Miss Wandelt about Mrs Spragg, of Caerau, Cardiff, on the evening they visited the McCanns’ home in Rothley, Leicestershire, on 7 December 2024.
He said: “Was Spragg becoming a little bit aggressive?”
Miss Wandelt said: “Well, I would say that her emotions became too big.
“Verbally, yes. She seemed to be [aggressive]. It was because of the emotions and she wanted to help me.”
Asked if she was concerned about the way Mrs Spragg was behaving, Miss Wandelt said: “I didn’t think that was the right thing to do.”
Joe Giddens – WPA Pool/Getty ImagesMr Duck KC asked why Miss Wandelt continued to knock on the McCanns’ door when they went inside their home on the same date.
Miss Wandelt said she wanted Mrs McCann to have her DNA report.
The prosecutor said: “The one thing that’s blindingly obvious is that your profile and Madeleine McCann’s did not match.”
In response, Miss Wandelt questioned if the profile was Madeleine’s, as it was “from three people”.
Mr Duck KC asked: “Do you accept that by simply looking at the profile, it has nothing to do with you?”
Miss Wandelt replied: “Assuming this does belong to Madeleine, yes.”
PA MediaMr Duck KC has asked about images the defendant sent to Amelie McCann, claiming she had a resemblance to Madeleine in photos of herself.
Part of the prosecution’s case is that Miss Wandelt altered images to try and make her look more like Madeleine.
The court heard the defendant sent a message to Ms McCann, which read: “I only made photos sharpen because the quality was so bad.”
Miss Wandelt said she used an app and said: “It was nothing to do with altering the picture.”
The prosecutor turned to an image of Miss Wandelt, and another of Ms McCann and her mother Mrs McCann.
‘Honest comparison’
Mr Duck KC said: “Do you accept that when we look at the evidence in this case, photos that ended up on your telephone have been altered from their originals?”
Miss Wandelt said: “A lot of people send me information… yes it was on my phone but I had nothing to do with altering these pictures.”
She added: “I didn’t even know that my own photo was altered.”
The prosecutor moved on to images from a post the defendant published on Instagram.
Mr Duck KC asked: “Do we agree that two images which had been altered of you and Amelie and then set side by side for comparison purposes were published by you to your supporters on Instagram?”
“At that time, I had a belief that this was an honest comparison made by some of my supporters,” Miss Wandelt said.
She denied she altered the images to support the suggestion she looked like Madeleine.
The jury has now been dismissed until Monday.
Before this, jurors were told Mrs Spragg will not be called to the stand to give evidence.
The trial continues.
