Investigating officer says he went against procedure to test Julia Wandelt, accused of campaign of harassment against McCann family
An alleged stalker who claimed to be Madeleine McCann was ruled out after a secret DNA test proved conclusively she was not the missing girl, police have revealed in court.
Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of a campaign of harassment against the family of Madeleine, who went missing from Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 at the age of three.
The Polish national bombarded 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 turned up at their home demanding a DNA test, Leicester crown court previously heard.
Giving evidence on Tuesday, the senior investigating officer on the missing person’s case, Operation Grange, said he had gone against procedure to test Wandelt “in the hope she may stop her behaviour towards the McCann family”.
