The alleged stalker of Madeleine McCann’s parents cried in the witness stand as she claimed the missing girl’s mum ‘hid’ information from the jury and investigation, a court has heard.
Julia Wandelt, 24, broke down in tears while saying ‘I didn’t do anything wrong’ and told the court she should not be in the witness box.
The Polish national, from Lubin, Poland, is accused of claiming to be missing British toddler Madeleine, all while stalking Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry by sending emails, making phone calls, leaving voicemails and turning up at their address.
Wandelt told the jury at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday: ‘If my memories are wrong, why did Kate McCann hide more contact she had with me when I explained my memories? She didn’t tell it in court.
‘If I’m wrong, why did she hide the fact that most of the voicemails were about my memories? If I’m wrong, why did she hide this part?’
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When Prosecutor Michael Duck KC asked if she was suggesting Mrs McCann withheld information from the jury or the investigation, Wandelt replied: ‘Both.’
The jury has heard that Wandelt claims to have memories of her abduction and of living with the McCann family.
When asked if she understood that her advances towards the family were unwanted, Wandelt said no.
She added: ‘At the end of the day, this is a person looking for their child, so I didn’t assume this contact was not wanted.’
Asked why she thought they did not respond, Wandelt said: ‘Maybe they were not allowed to. I just could not believe, and still cannot believe, the parents of a missing child don’t want to follow a lead.’
Wandelt added: ‘But I wasted three-and-a-half years of my life working out who I am… I think I’m in the wrong place. I should not be in the witness box today.”
She said she thought the reason the McCanns did not respond to her is because they had been ‘threatened’.
The court heard Wandelt sent a message to Mrs McCann saying ‘you are corrupted’ and ‘you never wanted to find Madeleine, it’s so sad.’
Wandelt said she sent the message because she was ‘sad and emotional’, but regretted saying that.
Wandelt said that Karen Spragg had been ‘verbally’ aggressive towards Mrs McCann when they visited her home in December last year.
The court heard Wandelt had told Spragg not to shout at Mrs McCann during their interaction with her, and Wandelt agreed with Mr Duck that her actions were intimidating.
Wandelt also said: ‘That’s why I came to the UK… to then have this DNA profile officially compared to the crime scene DNA and then go to court, to family court, and take legal action.’
Wandelt and her co-defendant, Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking.
The trial continues.
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