🔗 Share this article

The mother of missing Madeleine McCann has told a court how she found it deeply upsetting to listen to a woman accused of harassment call her “mum,” as she insisted to be her missing daughter.

Testifying from a shielded position, McCann explained that the actions of Julia Wandelt left her frightened and deeply troubled. Wandelt is alleged to have carried out a 30-month harassment campaign that culminated with her arrest in February.

The Polish national is accused with frequently referring to Kate as “mum” on several instances, while claiming she was the missing girl, who was three when she disappeared during a family holiday in the Portuguese resort in 2007.

This included a letter signed “Madeleine x.”

“That was an example of a thing that was getting to me,” she said. “It’s obvious the thing I want the most … is for Madeleine to be back and for Madeleine to be calling me ‘mum’. And that was extremely painful for me.”

McCann continued, “Calling me as ‘mum’ is difficult.”

Unexpected encounter at their residence

Jurors were informed that Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg from Cardiff, had overwhelmed the McCanns with messages and calls and were lingering outside their home on the night of December 7th.

When Kate McCann exited her car alone, she described hearing a voice in the darkness saying “Kate.”

“I was aware it was someone behind me but I didn’t know who it was,” she said. “It startled me.”

When she turned, she recognised the defendant “almost immediately” from photos previously received, she said. “She was quite vivid in my mind in any case because of all the communications,” she noted.

“I was alarmed and when I realised who it was I felt very upset. I think I’d been on edge already with the ongoing messages and it just bubbled up.”

McCann stated she managed to get inside the house despite Wandelt “putting her hands out trying to prevent her closing the door.”

Demand for testing and moment of doubt

The pair had been demanding a genetic analysis, something McCann said she would have been cannot perform without the involvement of the police, who had previously dismissed the possibility that Wandelt was her daughter.

She said she had not wanted to indulge the women, but confessed she had experienced a moment of doubt.

“I think because [the alleged harassment] was becoming overwhelming, a small part of my brain was saying ‘could it be?’, even though I was certain …

“I guess having seen a photograph of her, and her Polish background, nothing made any sense.

“I don’t know what my daughter looks like now, but if I viewed an image of her, I would recognise her.

“When I say there was a niggle, it was tiny.”

Madeleine’s father gives evidence about the same evening

Madeleine’s father was questioned regarding the identical incident in court on Wednesday afternoon. He had come home later than Kate to be faced with the two women, which he described as “pretty horrible.”

He further mentioned being sure Wandelt was not his lost child and revealed that at a certain moment he had picked up the call to her.

“I don’t recall my precise phrasing but I said something like: ‘You’re not Madeleine, please stop calling’.”

He struggled to speak through the emotion as he discussed trying to protect his remaining children from the public attention brought by Madeleine’s case.

“Social media can be really damaging, all the negative comments that have been posted about us and nasty stuff online, so naturally we wanted to try to protect them from that,” he said.

Heartfelt account and courtroom outburst

Kate McCann had also been visibly moved earlier in the day when she said it was only when the defendant contacted their adult child her daughter that they had decided to pursue things through authorities. She spoke tearfully as she noted that Amelie and her brother Sean had had to deal with a lot.

Wandelt started crying from the dock in what appeared to be an attempt to make certain Kate could hear her. She was escorted to the rear of the dock, where she shouted: “Why are you doing this to me?” She was led through the door that goes to the holding area and her crying could be heard echoing in the corridor.

Wandelt and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to the allegations against them.

Proceedings are ongoing.