🔗 Share this article Covert DNA Examination Proved Accused Stalker Could Not Be Madeleine McCann, Says Investigator A suspected stalker who claimed to be Madeleine McCann was ruled out after a confidential DNA test definitively confirmed she was not the missing girl, investigators stated in court. Targeted Behavior Targeting McCann Family Julia Wandelt, twenty-four, is alleged to have conducted a campaign of harassment against the relatives of Madeleine, who disappeared from a holiday destination in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three. The woman from Poland flooded Kate and Gerry McCann and their adult children, Sean and Amelie, with numerous phone calls, messages, voicemails and letters between 2022 and earlier this year, and appeared at their home demanding a DNA test, the court was earlier informed. Investigation Details Providing testimony on Tuesday, the lead detective on Madeleine's disappearance, stated he had deviated from protocol to test Wandelt “with the aim she may stop her behavior towards the McCann family”. The senior officer said 13 people had in the past insisted to be the missing girl but that: “We would not take DNA without strong belief that person was Madeleine because I did not want setting a precedent. “If it became known in the media I had taken DNA from someone most likely not to be Madeleine, I was concerned I would have had a lot of people coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’. “I sincerely hold major concerns about approaching the family to say I aim to take DNA from an individual – that could have raised their hopes. It could have been highly distressing and hard for the family.” Genetic Testing He said the police had previously assessed Wandelt not to be Madeleine due to dissimilar appearance and that she was two years older than Madeleine. But, he said, after learning Leicester police were going to take into custody Wandelt on criminal accusations, he “made the decision that the DNA would be taken upon arrest”. He said: “A comparison took place. It conclusively proved that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.” Court Proceedings Proceedings revealed that in April this year, Cranwell saw Wandelt under arrest and told her that her DNA had been matched against Madeleine’s and that the genetic markers did not match. The court learned he told Wandelt during the visit: “You are not Madeleine McCann.” The court heard that during their conversation, Wandelt inquired: “Do you truly desire to find Madeleine?”, and the officer told the jury he replied: “Yes.” He said notwithstanding the evidence, he believed Wandelt “could allege we have tampered with the sample”, adding: “There was a possibility she would not believe she isn't Madeleine even when provided with scientific proof.” Psychological Toll Earlier in the trial, testimony revealed how the relatives were left frightened and upset by their “unnerving” and “deeply disturbing” interactions with Wandelt and her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as the pair attempted to insist on a DNA test. The jury were told how the pair made ever more strange plans” to collect Kate McCann’s DNA, which included going through the McCanns’ bins and taking forks from restaurants that the McCanns dined at. Both defendants both contest one count of stalking. The case remains active.