Covert DNA Examination Proved Accused Stalker Was Not Madeleine McCann, Reports Officer
A suspected stalker who insisted to be the abducted child was eliminated after a secret DNA test established beyond doubt she was not Madeleine McCann, authorities disclosed in court.
Targeted Behavior Targeting McCann Family
Julia Wandelt, twenty-four, is accused of a campaign of harassment against the relatives of Madeleine, who went missing from a holiday destination in Portugal in 2007 when she was three.
The Polish national bombarded Kate and Gerry McCann and their grown-up kids, Sean and Amelie, with numerous phone calls, messages, voicemails and letters between 2022 and earlier this year, and turned up at their home requesting a DNA test, the court was earlier informed.
Investigation Details
Providing testimony on Tuesday, the senior investigating officer on Operation Grange, stated he had deviated from protocol to test Wandelt “intending she may stop her behavior towards the McCann family”.
DCI Mark Cramwell said 13 people had earlier asserted to be the missing girl but that: “We would not take DNA only if convinced that person was Madeleine because I aimed to prevent setting a precedent.
“If it became known in the media I had taken DNA off an individual quite likely not to be Madeleine, I was concerned I would have had numerous individuals coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’.
“I genuinely have major concerns about reaching out to 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.”
DNA Comparison
He said the police had previously assessed Wandelt not to be Madeleine due to dissimilar appearance and that she was older by two years than Madeleine. But, he said, after finding out Leicester police intended to detain Wandelt on harassment allegations, he “determined that the DNA would be taken upon arrest”.
He declared: “A comparison took place. It conclusively proved that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.”
Legal Testimony
The court heard that in April this year, Cranwell met with Wandelt while detained and stated to her that her DNA had been compared to Madeleine’s and that the profiles did not match. Jurors were told he told Wandelt at that meeting: “You are not Madeleine McCann.”
Testimony indicated that during their conversation, Wandelt asked: “Do you sincerely wish to find Madeleine?”, and Cranwell told the jury he answered: “Yes.”
He said despite the test, he believed Wandelt “could allege we have interfered with the sample”, remarking: “There existed a chance she would not believe she isn't Madeleine despite being given scientific proof.”
Family Impact
Earlier in the trial, the court heard how the McCanns were left scared and distressed by their “unnerving” and “profoundly unsettling” interactions with Wandelt and her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as both defendants attempted to demand a DNA test.
The jury were told how the defendants made ever more strange plans” to acquire Kate McCann’s DNA, which included going through the McCanns’ bins and stealing utensils from restaurants that the McCanns dined at.
The accused women both contest one count of stalking. The trial continues.