A Polish girl claiming to be Madeleine McCann bombarded the lacking woman’s mom with 60 calls and messages in a single day, a court docket has heard.
Julia Wandelt, 24, went on trial on Monday accused of stalking Madeleine’s mother and father, in addition to their different two youngsters.
Ms Wandelt grew to become obsessive about the “fable” that she had been kidnapped and transported to Poland, prompting her to relentlessly pursue the household with emails, cellphone calls and unannounced visits to their deal with, Leicester Crown Court docket heard.
She denies stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, inflicting critical alarm or misery, between June 2022 and February this 12 months.
Ms Wandel denies stalking the mother and father and siblings of Madeleine McCann – Elizabeth Cook dinner/PA Wire
Madeleine, then three years previous, went lacking from her household’s house within the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz in Might 2007 as her mother and father dined at a close-by tapas bar.
The following manhunt attracted world media consideration and the case stays one of many most generally reported lacking little one circumstances.
Jurors have been informed that there was “unequivocal scientific proof” that Ms Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, has no familial hyperlink to the McCanns, regardless of her claiming to have reminiscences of the woman’s childhood and disappearance.
Michael Duck KC, prosecuting, mentioned from June 2022, Ms Wandelt started attempting to influence “anyone ready to hear” that she was Madeleine.
‘I’m not a liar, I’m not loopy’
The jury was informed that she referred to as and messaged Mrs McCann’s cellphone on greater than 60 events on at some point in April final 12 months, together with about her alleged reminiscences of the woman’s abduction.
In a single message, the court docket heard, Ms Wandelt mentioned she remembered Mrs McCann on the evening of Madeleine’s abduction “rubbing my head and mentioned I like you and you’d discover me”.
A voicemail left on Mrs McCann’s cellphone was performed to the jury by which Ms Wandelt mentioned: “You don’t have anything to lose, if I’m her then all people must be OK but when I’m not, as you most likely suppose, then I’ll go away you alone.
“I do know my accent is Polish as a result of I reside right here, I do know I look fats and I do know I’m not fairly like Madeleine was up to now, however I do know what I do know, I do know what I bear in mind.
“Please simply give me an opportunity, I’m not a liar, I’m not loopy; I simply need to know the reality. Name me or message me or no matter please.”
The case of Madeleine McCann stays one of the crucial broadly reported lacking little one circumstances – Everton FC/PA Wire
Mr Duck mentioned: “One in all many tragic penalties for Madeleine’s mother and father, Kate and Gerry McCann, has been their fixed incapacity to flee the glare of publicity that got here with that tragedy.
“The eye they’ve acquired has not all the time been compassionate, generally removed from it.
“There stays a bunch of people who proceed to fail to acknowledge their plight and perpetuate conspiracy theories.”
Mr and Mrs McCann have been unable to ‘escape the glare of publicity’ that got here with the tragedy – Joe Giddens/PA Wire
The prosecutor mentioned Ms Wandelt has claimed to have “flashbacks” from hypnosis periods, together with one reminiscence of spoon-feeding Madeleine’s youthful brother.
Wendt is alleged to have referred to as Mrs McCann “mommy” in textual content messages and recalled enjoying ring a roses within the again backyard of the household’s residence in Rothley, Leicestershire.
The court docket heard Ms Wandelt made contact with Madeleine’s youthful sister saying there have been “many issues” she may bear in mind and despatched her photos in an try and “persuade” her that they “have been by some means associated”.
Ms Wandelt is alleged to have additionally claimed to be two different lacking women.
Lacking woman claims by Ms Wandelt
The court docket heard that Ms Wandelt contacted Lacking Years In the past, a charity which helps with historic lacking particular person circumstances, in January or February 2023 claiming she was Inga Gehricke who went lacking in Germany aged 5 in 2009.
“As with Madeleine McCann, Julia Wandelt was precluded from being a practical candidate by advantage of her age and apparent variations,” the prosecutor mentioned.
After these claims have been dismissed, Ms Wandelt claimed to be one other lacking woman referred to as Acacia Bishop from Utah, the jury heard.
The listening to was paused for ten minutes when Ms Wandelt began crying and went to the again of the dock after Mr Duck mentioned: “Can we at this very early stage within the trial make this place clear – that Julia Wandelt will not be Madeleine McCann.”
Ms Wandelt appeared alongside Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau, Cardiff. Each girls deny stalking.
The trial continues.
