Alleged Harasser Inquired: 'Yet What If I Could Be Madeleine?'

Courtroom sketch
Karen Spragg - according to court testimony asserts she is disappeared Madeleine McCann - contest the allegations

A female charged with harassing Kate McCann reportedly left her a phone message which posed: "imagine I am Madeleine?"

Julia Wandelt, twenty-four, who a jury heard has persistently asserted she was the missing Madeleine McCann, and Karen Spragg are facing charges accused with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann from June 2022 and February this year.

Madeleine McCann photo
Madeleine McCann's disappearance has not yet been resolved

On Monday, Leicester Crown Court heard call records and data recovered from phones logged Ms Wandelt consistently asking Madeleine's mother for a DNA test over that period.

Madeleine's vanishing in 2007 - when she was three years old during a family holiday in Portugal - is one of the most covered child disappearance cases and is still unsolved.

'I Don't Want Money'

One voicemail, presented in court, captured Ms Wandelt declaring: "I realize I'm fat and not pretty like Madeleine was, but I feel what I feel."

While another instance of Ms Wandelt's one-way conversations with Mrs McCann's recording stated: "What if there is a slight possibility that I am she? Then what? Is that not crucial for you?"

"I am not seeking money, I maintain a existence here in Poland, I only wish to know," the recording stated.

The panel was advised that by means of electronic messages, mobile messages and communications, Ms Wandelt asked for a genetic test, sent early photographs to her phone in a bid to show a similarity to Mrs McCann's missing daughter, and asserted to have "memories" from a childhood with the McCanns.

An intelligence analyst, an intelligence analyst with Leicestershire Police who gathered the information, told the court there "showed no any answers" from Mrs McCann.

Ms Wandelt additionally reached out to family friends of the McCanns, as per the communication logs.

On October 9th, 2024, the father responded to a phone call from Ms Wandelt to his wife's phone, declaring she had "the wrong phone."

That day Ms Wandelt left a recording on Mrs McCann's answerphone stating "I will persist and I plan to establish my claim."

Court proceedings
Kate and Gerry McCann provided testimony to the court from behind a security measure on Wednesday

The court learned the co-defendant struck up a relationship through digital means with Ms Wandelt preceding accompanying her on a trip to the McCanns' property in the county in last December.

Communication data demonstrated Mrs Spragg had reached out using WhatsApp to Mrs McCann to say the press had characterized Ms Wandelt as "emotionally disturbed" but that she ought to be treated respectfully in the time preceding the appearance to Rothley, the county, in that winter.

The court learned message exchanges between the two accused, in November 2024, considering trying to get Mrs McCann's genetic material from her bins or from cutlery at a dining venue.

"We need to take action," the co-defendant informed Ms Wandelt.

On the occasion of the trip to their residence, Mrs Spragg sent a message which expressed: "We find ourselves sat adjacent to the McCanns' house with our headlights off like investigators. I wanted to accomplish this with Peter Andrew I didn't imagine I would be involved in this with the McCanns."

The proceedings continues.

Chelsea Oliver
Chelsea Oliver

Elara is a wellness enthusiast and writer passionate about sharing practical advice for a balanced life.