Julia Wandelt is alleged to have gone to the McCann home with co-accused Karen Spragg and confronted the parents, a stalking trial heard, as Madeleine’s dad Gerry spoke of bizarre ‘cover up’ claims
Gerry McCann has told how bizarre claims of a Madeleine “cover up” and the “Masons” were made when two women turned up at the family home, a stalking trial heard.
Mr McCann and Madeleine’s mother Kate both gave evidence from behind a curtain today as they spoke of their distress and annoyance at the actions of Polish national Julia Wandelt and Karen Spragg, from Cardiff, who both deny causing serious alarm. Wandelt, 24, sobbed and loudly asked “Why are you doing this to me?” after Mrs McCann spoke of her distress at being confronted by the pair outside her home in Leicestershire in December last year.
Prosecutors allege Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, peddled the myth that she was Madeleine – who went missing in Portugal in 2007 – while stalking her parents by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address.
And Mr McCann told the court how the two women went to the family home in December last year and made conspiracy claims. He said how they first started banging on the door and “shouting” and then of his interaction with Wandelt and Spragg, he continued: “She (Spragg) said something about a cover up and also of me being a member of the Masons.
“I was pretty astounded. I don’t know much about the Masons, I did not know they allow Catholics in – I said something like that. She said again about covering up.”
Mr McCann said that Wandelt was holding a plastic folder that she was trying to “force into his hand”. He added: “Then I got inside. I pulled the curtains over the door and went straight into the kitchen to see Kate.
“They kept banging on the door, for about ten or 15 minutes. They were banging and shouting. Kate was still pretty shaken, she was in the house on her own, she felt frightened.”
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC asked if Mr McCann was prepared to take what Wandelt was trying to give him. He replied: “No. I was trying to get inside the house.”
Mr McCann said there were people that “crazily” believe conspiracy theories, including that he and his wife Kate do not want to find their missing daughter. He added: “That’s detrimental to any existing investigation and obviously we have always put that (the inquiry) first.”
Both defendants deny one count of stalking causing serious alarm and distress to Mr and Mrs McCann between June 2022 and February this year. The trial continues.