Madeleine McCann’s mum Kate sent texts by ‘stalker’ claiming ‘you are mummy’
Julia Wandelt, 24, a Polish national, is on trial along with Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann as a jury heard a series of voice messages
Madeleine McCann’s mum Kate allegedly received dozens of text messages from a stalker who believed she was her missing daughter, a court has heard.
A jury today heard the details of text messages and voicemails the prosecution say Julia Wandelt left on mum-of-three Mrs McCann’s phone. The Polish national, 24, is on trial at Leicester Crown Court alongside Karen Spragg from Cardiff, 61, who both deny one count of stalking.
Today the court has been hearing excerpts of text messages allegedly from Wandelt to Kate McCann. In one she wrote: “Don’t block me, don’t give up on me, don’t reject me.” 
Another read: “I cry when I listen to your voice or see you. I don’t understand why you don’t want to see me. You are mummy. You know it’s me. You know I’m not crazy. I remember how you hugged me before the abduction happened. You said you loved me and will find me.”
The court also heard recordings of Wandelt leaving voice messages to Mrs McCann over the period of several months last year, asking in one: “What if I’m her?” Wandelt’s head was down as jurors listened to the recordings while Spragg began crying and had to leave the dock when the recordings were played.
In one message, Wandelt was heard saying: “I know you probably think Madeleine’s dead. Well she is not. I really believe I’m her. Help me. Don’t think Madeleine is dead. This is a chance. Please, I beg you.
“The police don’t want to help me, they don’t want to help Madeleine. It’s all corrupt. I promise you that I will prove who I am because I know you love Madeleine.”
In another message, she said: “You probably believe Madeleine is not alive any more. What if I’m her? What if there’s a small chance that I’m her?”
Prosecutors allege the Polish national peddled the myth that she was Madeleine, who went missing during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, while stalking Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry, by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address between June 2022 and February this year.
The court previously heard that Wandelt called and messaged Kate McCann more than 60 times in a single day in April last year, including about her alleged memories of the missing girl’s abduction. On one occasion Mrs McCann received five text messages from Wandelt within seven seconds, the jury was told.
In another message she described an “example of what I can remember”, about a barbecue when she was young, with other children, and she claimed she asked Mrs McCann whether she could get a ball. The message said: “I cry when I hear your voice. I feel this connection, I don’t know how to explain it.”
She added: “I always thought that you are innocent. I feel in my heart that you did not want this to happen. I know people judge you and they judge me too. I know you probably finished, closed, this chapter in your life, and I know you don’t want to open this again probably, but I always want to hear your voice.”
The jury heard that one night, Wandelt sent a message to Mrs McCann at 1am, saying: “I don’t understand why you don’t want to do a DNA test.” Jurors heard a recording of Mr McCann answering the phone once last year, when he told Wandelt: “You must have the wrong number.”
In a following voicemail, Wandelt said: “I know it was you Gerry. You answered the call. Why is it so hard to answer the call and speak with me? I haven’t done anything wrong. If you’re looking for Madeleine, you should do a test with me.”
In a separate voicemail, the court heard, Wandelt said the “last thing” she wanted was to post about her claims to be Madeleine on social media, but added she was left with “no choice”.
