Kate McCann began giving evidence at Leicester Crown Court in the trial of two women accused of stalking her family. The mother of missing Madeleine McCann was shielded from the dock by a curtain as she entered the witness box.
Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish national from Lubin, and Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, both deny stalking charges. The alleged stalking of Kate and Gerry McCann occurred between June 2022 and February this year.
Jurors heard that Wandelt had claimed to be the missing girl and turned up at the McCann family home. She had also signed a letter addressed to the family as Madeleine.
Timeline of contact attempts
Kate McCann told the court she first became aware of Wandelt approximately three years ago. She learned of the defendant's existence through officers working on Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police inquiry into her daughter's 2007 disappearance.
The prosecutor confirmed that Wandelt's first attempts to contact the McCann family occurred on 24th June 2022. Mrs McCann discovered through police that Wandelt believed herself to be Madeleine.
Court testimony details
Michael Duck KC read excerpts from messages Wandelt sent to Mrs McCann. In the communications, the defendant wrote "let me prove I am not a liar" and "give me a chance, I don't want money".
When asked if she had responded to the messages, Mrs McCann answered: "No. I did not want to engage." She confirmed remembering the messages arriving at her mobile phone.
Case background
Madeleine McCann disappeared from Portugal's Algarve in 2007, and the case remains unsolved. The current trial represents the latest legal proceedings connected to the high-profile missing person case.
The trial continues at Leicester Crown Court.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
