The mother details emotional distress caused by alleged stalker referring to her as ‘mum’ in court
Kate McCann has described to a court how she found it deeply upsetting to listen to an alleged stalker address her as “mum,” while claiming to be her missing daughter.
Testifying from behind a screen, she stated that the behavior of the 24-year-old defendant left her terrified and deeply troubled. Wandelt is said to have carried out a two-and-a-half year persistent stalking that culminated with her detainment in February.
The Polish national is accused with frequently referring to McCann as “mum” on several instances, as she maintained she was Madeleine, who had just turned three when she vanished during a family holiday in Praia da Luz in the year 2007.
This included a written message ended “Madeleine x.”
This was one instance of a thing that was affecting me deeply,” McCann said. “It’s obvious the thing I want the most … is for my daughter to be back and for her to be calling me ‘mum’. And that was really stressful for me.”
McCann continued, “Referring to me as ‘mum’ is difficult.”
Unexpected encounter at their residence
Jurors were informed that Wandelt and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman from Wales, had bombarded the McCanns with repeated communications and were waiting near their house on the night of 7 December 2024.
When Kate McCann got out of her car by herself, she recalled hearing a voice in the darkness saying “Kate.”
“I knew it was someone behind me but I didn’t know who it was,” she said. “I got a fright.”
Turning round, she recognised the defendant “pretty quickly” from photos previously received, she said. “Her image was firmly planted in my mind in any case because of all the communications,” she added.
“I got a fright and when I realised who it was I felt quite distressed. I think I’d been on edge anyway with the ongoing messages and it just bubbled up.”
McCann stated she was able to enter inside the house despite Wandelt “putting her hands out trying to stop me closing the door.”
Request for DNA and moment of doubt
The pair had been asking for a DNA test, something Kate clarified she would have been unable to do without the participation of the police, who had previously dismissed the possibility that the defendant was her daughter.
She said she had avoided encouraging the women, but acknowledged she had experienced a moment of doubt.
“I think because [the alleged harassment] was becoming overwhelming, a small part of my brain was saying ‘could it be?’, even though I knew …
“I suppose having seen a photograph of her, and she’s Polish, nothing made any sense.
“I don’t know what my daughter looks like now, but if I saw a photo of her, I would recognise her.
“When I say there was a niggle, it was minuscule.”
Gerry McCann testifies about that night
Madeleine’s father was questioned regarding the identical incident in court on Wednesday afternoon. He had returned after his wife to be faced with the defendants, which he described as “pretty horrible.”
He further mentioned being sure the accused was not his lost child and revealed that at a certain moment he had answered the phone to her.
“I don’t recall my precise phrasing but I stated along the lines of: ‘You are not my daughter, please cease contacting us’.”
He struggled to talk through the emotion as he discussed trying to shield his other two children from the public attention brought by Madeleine’s case.
“Online platforms can be really damaging, all the negative comments that have been posted about us and nasty stuff online, so naturally we wanted to try to keep them safe from that,” he said.
Emotional testimony and courtroom outburst
Kate McCann had also been visibly moved earlier in the day when she said it was only when the defendant contacted their adult child Amelie that they had decided to take action through authorities. Her voice broke as she explained that her daughter and her twin brother Sean had had to deal with a lot.
The accused started crying from the court enclosure in what appeared to be an attempt to make certain Kate could hear her. She was ushered to the rear of the dock, where she exclaimed: “What is the reason for this treatment?” She was taken through the door that goes to the cells and her crying could be heard echoing in the hallway.
Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges against them.
The trial continues.
