Julia Wandelt has finished giving evidence at Leicester Crown Court, where she is on trial accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann
The 24-year-old, from Lubin in south-west Poland, has repeatedly claimed she is missing Madeleine, who disappeared in 2007
The defendant burst into tears when told there is "no scientific evidence" linking her to the McCanns at all, saying she is "exhausted" and adding "I don't care any more"
Co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from 61, of Caerau, Cardiff, will not give evidence
Miss Wandelt denies altering images sent to Madeleine's sister, Amelie, to try to make her look more like the missing child
Earlier, the Polish national became upset and asked why she is standing in court. She said she "did not do anything wrong"
The pair deny stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, causing serious alarm and distress between June 2022 and February 2025
The court heard that on 1 April this year, police contacted the defendant about the DNA test, which "conclusively proved" she was not Madeleine McCann.
Miss Wandelt said this was "disrespectful" given that the contact came on April Fool's Day - and knowing how long she had been waiting.
"From all other days, they chose April Fools Day," Miss Wandelt said.
Mr Duck KC asked Miss Wandelt: "Who do you think was threatening Kate McCann, Gerry?"
Miss Wandelt said: "I don't know if it's true."
Mr Duck KC told the court part of Miss Wandelt's thought process was that Mr McCann and Operation Grange investigating officers were threatening Mrs McCann.
Miss Wandelt told the court she did not believe it was her decision to refuse a DNA test.
Mr Duck KC asked Miss Wandelt: "What is your attitude and manner towards Gerry McCann?"
Miss Wandelt responded: "I don’t want to say anything bad about him."
Addressing Miss Wandelt, Mr Duck KC said: "Do you entertain the possibility that Gerry had something to do with the disappearance of his own daughter?"
In response, Miss Wandelt said: "Yes."
When asked to expand on her answer, Miss Wandelt said her response was "mostly based on memories", and added: "But also the way he came across as not letting Kate say anything."
Mr Duck continues to ask questions of Miss Wandelt, and asked her about the "multiple times" the phone was not answered.
The court heard Miss Wandelt did not see it as unwanted contact, and added: "I thought Kate [McCann] was threatened or for some reason could not talk to me."
Mr Duck asked: "By whom?"
Miss Wandelt said: "I don't know. Somebody who did not want the truth to come out."
Mr Duck KC said Miss Wandelt tried to contact Gerry McCann via the hospital he worked for in June 2022.
The prosecutor continued: "From that point onwards, you were trying to be in regular contact with the McCanns?"
In response, Miss Wandelt said: "Not necessarily like this."
Mr Duck KC said: "For example in January 2024, you tried to contact Amelie [Madeleine McCann's sister] directly. In April 2024, you were phoning or emailing Kate McCann multiple times a day.
"You came over to the UK in May 2024 with the intention of speaking to the McCanns and continued to try and contact them up to the point of your arrest.
"You knew that was unwanted contact?"
In response, Miss Wandelt said "no", because the McCanns "never made it clear" they did not want her to contact them.
Mr Duck KC asked Miss Wandelt whether she recognised the charges she faced, to which she said "Yes."
He said: "Is it right that you pursued your claim to be Madeleine McCann from June 2022 to the point of arrest?"
Miss Wandelt said: "It depends exactly what you mean by that."
She told the court she had contacted institutions since June 2022 to get her case investigated.
"If that's what you mean, then yes," she added.
Michael Duck KC, prosecuting, is now beginning his cross-examination of Julia Wandelt.
Addressing Miss Wandelt, Mr Russell Flint KC said: "You've been described as vulnerable, do you agree?"
In response, Miss Wandelt said: "Yes."
The jury heard from Mr Russell Flint that Miss Wandelt had post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and been a victim of sexual violence.
Miss Wandelt tearfully agreed and said "nobody wanted to help me".
"Nobody wanted to listen," she added.
The court heard Miss Wandelt was part of a WhatsApp group chat with Karen Spragg and Steven Dempster - a friend of the pair who paid for Miss Wandelt's flight to the UK.
Mr Russell Flint KC asked Miss Wandelt if she was aware that Mrs Spragg and Mr Dempster were saying it was not a good idea for Miss Wandelt to go "anywhere near" the McCanns.
Miss Wandelt said Mr Dempster told her that, and she agreed.
Mr Russell Flint KC said on 19 February, the day Miss Wandelt travelled to England, it had been made plain that they would not be taking Miss Wandelt to see the McCanns.
The court heard that on 9 January 2025, Mrs Spragg and Miss Wandelt exchanged messages about Miss Wandelt - a Polish national - returning to the UK.
One message from Mrs Spragg, read to the court, said: "Have you thought about coming to the UK again? To confront the McCanns again? To go to the vigil?"
A message from Miss Wandelt, read to the court, responded: "I want to go to the vigil definitely and I want to confront them again."
Jurors heard Mrs Spragg said she would go with her.
Miss Wandelt said before coming to the UK, she considered the option of being arrested as a last resort.
"I didn't want to commit any crime. I thought if I was arrested, I would get the DNA test," she said.
"Before I came to the UK I changed my mind, but I was arrested anyway."
Jurors have been told Miss Wandelt was arrested in February this year, after arriving at Bristol Airport, with co-defendant Mrs Spragg also detained in a nearby car park.
The court has been told of a WhatsApp conversation on 19 November 2024, in which Miss Wandelt and Mrs Spragg exchanged messages about going through the McCanns' bins.
Miss Wandelt said in a message: "We should get their DNA - this is the only way to prove it
"Kate will be alone at home. She won't be controlled by Gerry."
The court heard Mrs Spragg replied: "Yes we can go through their bins. LOL."
Further messages between the two, read out to the court, included: "We do it late when no-one can see. We can always steal all their garbage haha."
Another said: "We could Lol. As long as it don’t stink Lol."
"We only need to take one bag," another added.
The court heard Miss Wandelt's visit to the UK in December 2024 was the first time she met Mrs Spragg.
Jurors heard the next day, the pair travelled from Cardiff to Leicestershire, and the court heard the purpose of their visit was to provide Mrs McCann with the DNA results she had from Dr Monte Miller.
It was not intended by either Mrs Spragg or Miss Wandelt to cause the McCanns any upset or distress, the court was told.
Jurors have previously heard the defendants discussed going through bins from the McCanns' address to find a DNA sample.
When asked by Mr Russell Flint KC - Mrs Spragg's lawyer - whether the pair went anywhere near the bins, Miss Wandelt said "No."
"Me and Karen were mostly joking about the bins. The whole situation of me trying to find out who I am over the last three years has been strange," Miss Wandelt said.
"The truth is, if we wanted to do this, we would have, and we didn't."
Mr Russell Flint KC has continued reading out details of the letter from Mrs Spragg to Mrs McCann.
The message, read to the court, said Julia Wandelt had reached out to various authorities but "no-one wants to help her".
It added Miss Wandelt had taken a DNA test in Poland, which suggested she was "a close family member" of the McCanns.
The message, read to the court, continued: "The next step is, we're going to find a scientist who can read this better.
"This can't be ignored. Julia has the same markings and the same faces as Madeleine. She also has a scar on her cheek which Madeleine also has."
"I'm talking to you as a mother, please understand how Julia feels. She wants to know if she is or if she isn’t Madeleine," the letter, read to the jury, added.
Mr Russell Flint KC has also been reading a letter from Mrs Spragg to Kate McCann, mother of missing Madeleine.
The message from Mrs Spragg to Mrs McCann said: "You do not know me, I want to reach out about Julia Wandelt."
The letter, read out to the court, continued: "I have become close to Julia since she made a terrible mistake, which was a typing error."
The court heard Miss Wandelt posted "I am Madeleine McCann" on social media, but according to messages from Mrs Spragg to Mrs McCann, she meant "I believe I am Madeleine".
Miss Wandelt said she used the words "I am Madeleine McCann" in the name of her account to get the attention of the police.
"Julia had a lot of hate and death threats made to her. The media has portrayed her as some crazy person," Mrs Spragg said to Mrs McCann in her letter.
"Julia has seen a psychologist and has spent hours talking to her about her memories."
The court heard in late September 2024, Mrs Spragg was following Miss Wandelt on social media.
Mr Russell Flint KC has read out messages from Mrs Spragg to Miss Wandelt, saying she had seen the DNA comparison between Miss Wandelt and Madeleine McCann on Instagram.
Messages from Mrs Spragg, the court heard, included: "I believe you are and they know you are, that's why they won't do the DNA test.
"You are going to expose something big. Someone needs to take you seriously.
"Keep up the good work."
Simon Russell Flint KC, the lawyer for Mrs Spragg (pictured below), has started to ask questions of Julia Wandelt.
Leicester Crown Court heard Det Con Mark Draycott made a call to Miss Wandelt, telling her he is from Operation Grange.
Mr Russell Flint KC said Det Con Draycott told Miss Wandelt: "All I'm going to say is the same as I did in 2022, you are not Madeleine McCann."
Jurors heard Miss Wandelt asked Det Con Draycott for a copy of the DNA results, to which he said the DNA had not been tested.
Miss Wandelt, the court heard, asked why, to which Det Con Draycott said: "We can't spend public money on something like that."
Jurors were told Miss Wandelt questioned why they didn't do the test, given the resources the investigation had, and said she had a lot of supporters who would have happily paid.
"If it had been done back in 2022, none of us would be here today," Miss Wandelt said.
Image source, PA MediaMiss Wandelt said she returned to Poland on 9 December 2024, and on 19 February 2025, she returned to the UK.
Miss Wandelt added she wanted to get a DNA test from a lab accepted by UK authorities, which she said her co-defendant Mrs Spragg booked.
"I wanted to take real action," Miss Wandelt said.
Miss Wandelt added she also wanted to take a "short break from all of this", and spend some time with Mrs Spragg.
The court heard the day after attending the annual vigil for Madeleine McCann, on 3 May 2024, Miss Wandelt went to Charing Cross Police Station in London.
Miss Wandelt said she explained to them why she could be Madeleine and asked for a DNA test.
She said she was told that someone from the McCann investigation would be in touch.
The DNA test was later destroyed, the court heard.
Mr Price KC asked Miss Wandelt what she hoped would happen with the material she gave to Sgt Harper at the police station in Leicester.
Miss Wandelt said she hoped by giving documents to Sgt Harper, there would be an investigation into her claims.
"Everything comes back to Operation Grange [the Met Police investigation into Madeleine McCann's disappearance]. There is no way to get a proper investigation because Operation Grange had the first say," Miss Wandelt added.
Mr Price KC asked Miss Wandelt if she thought her claims in Leicester would lead to a separate investigation, to which she said "yes".
When asked if anything further happened, Miss Wandelt said "no".
The court heard correspondence between Miss Wandelt and Dr Monte Miller, read out by Mr Price KC, that discussed the findings of a DNA report Dr Miller compiled.
Miss Wandelt told the court no money exchanged hands between her and Dr Miller.
"I wanted some time later to get the full report," Miss Wandelt added.
The court heard by the time the report was on the internet, Dr Miller found himself in a bit of an "uncomfortable situation" because of the attention on his report.
Mr Price KC asked Miss Wandelt how many experts she contacted in her DNA research.
In response, Miss Wandelt said: "I wanted to see anyone who would respond. If none of them responded, I planned to email some others."
The court heard Dr Miller was the only person to respond.
The court heard that after the delivery of the letter to the McCanns' address, Miss Wandelt and Mrs Spragg went to Beaumont Leys Police Station.
Mr Price KC, defending Miss Wandelt, asked why she went to the police station, to which Miss Wandelt said she wanted to pass the [DNA] documents to a police officer.
Miss Wandelt, the court heard, spoke to a Sgt Harper and then filled in a complaint to the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Mr Price KC read out the the extracts of the complaint, which included a refusal to conduct a DNA test, failure to respond to a data access request and improper exercise of police power, and that she was threatened with arrest.
Miss Wandelt said: "I was left feeling targeted."