Accused Harasser Questioned: 'However What If I Could Be Madeleine?'

Courtroom sketch
Karen Spragg - according to court testimony believes she is disappeared Madeleine McCann - contest the allegations

A female accused with pursuing Kate McCann allegedly left her a recorded message which posed: "what if I am Madeleine?"

The defendant, 24, who a jury heard has repeatedly asserted she was the missing Madeleine McCann, and Karen Spragg are facing charges charged with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann from June 2022 and February the current year.

Madeleine McCann photo
Madeleine McCann's disappearance has not yet been concluded

On Monday, the tribunal heard call records and data recovered from phones documented Ms Wandelt persistently demanding Madeleine's mother for a genetic test over that period.

Madeleine's vanishing in 2007 - when she was three years old during a trip in Portugal - is considered the most widely reported child disappearance cases and remains unresolved.

'I Don't Want Money'

A separate phone message, presented in court, captured Ms Wandelt saying: "I realize I'm fat and plain like Madeleine was, but I know what I know."

While a separate message of Ms Wandelt's recordings with Mrs McCann's answerphone said: "What if there is a small chance that I am Madeleine? Then what? Isn't that important for you?"

"I do not need money, I maintain a living here in Poland, I simply desire to know," the message continued.

The tribunal was informed that through emails, SMS messages and calls, Ms Wandelt demanded a genetic test, transmitted youth pictures to her phone in a bid to show a likeness to Mrs McCann's disappeared daughter, and asserted to have "recollections" from a childhood with the McCanns.

An intelligence analyst, an intelligence analyst with Leicestershire Police who gathered the information, informed the court there "didn't appear to be any answers" from Mrs McCann.

Ms Wandelt furthermore contacted family friends of the McCanns, as per the phone records.

On that date, Gerry McCann answered a phone call from Ms Wandelt to his wife's phone, saying she had "a wrong number."

During that incident Ms Wandelt deposited a message on Mrs McCann's voicemail declaring "I will continue and I intend to demonstrate my claim."

Court proceedings
Kate and Gerry McCann testified to the court from behind a privacy screen on Wednesday

The court learned the co-defendant developed a association through digital means with Ms Wandelt prior to assisting her on a visit to the McCanns' residence in Leicestershire in last December.

Phone records revealed Mrs Spragg had contacted through messaging service to Mrs McCann to state the media had characterized Ms Wandelt as "mentally unstable" but that she deserved to be treated respectfully in the months before the trip to Rothley, that area, in that winter.

The court was told correspondence between the two individuals, in November 2024, planning endeavoring to get Mrs McCann's biological evidence from her trash or from cutlery at a dining venue.

"We must make a stand," Mrs Spragg told Ms Wandelt.

On the occasion of the visit to their home, the defendant dispatched a message which said: "We're currently positioned outside the McCanns' residence with our headlights off similar to detectives. I wanted to do this with another person I didn't imagine I would be involved in this with the McCanns."

The proceedings proceeds.

Eric Osborn
Eric Osborn

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