Two women accused of harassing Madeleine McCann’s family have been brought to court. It was revealed that one of the women, Julia Wandelt, left a voicemail for Kate McCann, suggesting there was a cover-up involving her name. The trial at Leicester Crown Court disclosed the distress caused to the McCann family by Wandelt and Karen Spragg’s alleged actions, including claiming to be Madeleine and showing up at the family’s residence.
During a prison visit in April, DCI Cranwell informed Wandelt of the DNA test results, confirming she is not Madeleine. The court heard that Wandelt questioned the validity of the results and the comparison with DNA in the Portuguese files. Operation Grange, led by DCI Cranwell, now operates part-time with limited staff due to budget constraints. Wandelt’s escalating harassment prompted the decision to obtain her DNA sample to confirm she was not Madeleine.
After multiple attempts to convince Wandelt that she was not Madeleine, DC Draycott reiterated to her in a recorded call that the authorities would not conduct a DNA test as there was no evidence to support her claims. Wandelt persisted in her belief that she was related to the McCanns, but the investigation team remained firm in their conclusion that she was not Madeleine.
The court heard that Wandelt’s persistent voicemails and messages to the McCann family, claiming to be their daughter, were met with reassurances that she was not related to them. Despite Wandelt’s insistence and emotional pleas, the evidence presented by the investigative team disproved her claims. DC Draycott emphasized that Wandelt was not the first person to falsely claim to be Madeleine, and the authorities were confident in their findings that she was not the missing girl.
Det Con Mark Draycott, an investigator involved in the Madeleine McCann case, provided insights into Operation Grange’s efforts to uncover the truth about Madeleine’s disappearance. The court was informed of Wandelt’s persistent attempts to prove her identity as Madeleine, which were refuted by the investigative team based on thorough analysis and evidence-based conclusions.