🔗 Share this article Secret DNA Analysis Proved Alleged Stalker Could Not Be Madeleine McCann, Says Investigator A suspected stalker who asserted to be Madeleine McCann was eliminated after a secret DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, investigators stated in court. Targeted Behavior Targeting McCann Family Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of a stalking campaign against the parents of Madeleine, who disappeared from Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 as a three-year-old. The Polish citizen overwhelmed Kate and Gerry McCann and their adult children, Sean and Amelie, with hundreds of calls, messages, voicemails and letters between 2022 and earlier this year, and visited their home requesting a DNA test, Leicester crown court previously heard. Police Testimony Providing testimony on Tuesday, the chief investigator on Madeleine's disappearance, stated he had gone against procedure to test Wandelt “in the hope she may stop her actions towards the McCann family”. The senior officer said 13 people had previously claimed to be the missing girl but that: “We would not take DNA only if convinced that person was Madeleine because I did not want setting a precedent. “If it became known in the media I had taken DNA from a person quite likely not to be Madeleine, I was concerned I would have had numerous individuals coming forward saying ‘I’m Madeleine’. “I sincerely hold major concerns about reaching out to the family to say I plan to take DNA from an individual – that could have built up their expectations. It could have been quite emotionally damaging and challenging for the family.” DNA Comparison He said the police had already judged Wandelt not to be Madeleine because of no physical similarity and that she was not the same age than Madeleine. But, he said, after finding out Leicester police intended to detain Wandelt on criminal accusations, he “made the decision that the DNA would be taken during detention”. He stated: “A comparison took place. It definitively established that Julia Wandelt cannot be Madeleine McCann.” Legal Testimony Jurors learned that in April this year, the officer visited Wandelt in custody and stated to her that her DNA had been compared to Madeleine’s and that the profiles did not match. The court learned he told Wandelt during the visit: “You are not Madeleine McCann.” The court heard that throughout their discussion, Wandelt said: “Do you really want to find Madeleine?”, and Cranwell told the jury he answered: “Yes.” He said notwithstanding the evidence, he believed Wandelt “would suggest we have tampered with the sample”, adding: “There existed a chance she would not believe she cannot be Madeleine despite being given scientific proof.” Family Impact In prior court sessions, jurors learned how the family were left scared and traumatized by their “unnerving” and “deeply disturbing” interactions with Wandelt and her alleged accomplice Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, as both defendants attempted to insist on a DNA test. The court learned how both women made progressively odd plans” to acquire Kate McCann’s DNA, which included rummaging in the McCanns’ bins and stealing utensils from restaurants that the family visited. The accused women both deny one count of stalking. The trial continues.