Overview

• Wandelt’s DNA was taken after her February arrest at Bristol Airport and the comparison conclusively ruled her out, DCI Mark Cranwell testified.
• Jurors heard recordings of distressed voicemails to Kate McCann in which Wandelt claimed Madeleine was alive and begged for a DNA test, including flurries of messages exceeding 60 in a day.
• Prosecutors allege a stalking campaign from June 2022 to February 2025 that included calls, letters, social media contact and a doorstep encounter that left Kate McCann frightened.
• Co-defendant Karen Spragg allegedly supported the claim, leaving a voicemail suggesting a cover-up and urging a DNA test; both defendants deny the charge.
• DCI Cranwell said police usually avoid testing claimants to prevent raising false hopes and setting a precedent, but he ordered it on arrest; the trial at Leicester Crown Court continues.