Kate McCann broke down in court as she faced the woman who falsely claimed to be her missing daughter, Madeleine. Polish national Julia Wandelt, 24, shouted, “Why are you doing this to me?” after Kate gave emotional testimony describing years of harassment.
Kate told the jury that Wandelt’s letters and visits to her home left her deeply distressed. One letter, signed “Madeleine,” read: “Dear Mum… inside your heart you know who I am.” Through tears, Kate said, “All I want is for my real daughter to be back and calling me Mum.”
Prosecutors revealed that Wandelt and her supporter, 61-year-old Karen Spragg, allegedly stalked the McCanns for nearly three years — even discussing stealing the couple’s cutlery to get DNA samples. “Their behavior caused serious alarm and distress,” said prosecutor Michael Duck KC.
Kate admitted she briefly considered a DNA test “just to end it,” but added she knew Wandelt was not Madeleine. As she told the court, “Every false claim reopens the wound — I just want peace, and my daughter found.” The trial continues at Leicester Crown Court.
