Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann tells trial she is 'not a liar or attention seeker'

Julia Wendelt, 24, from Lubin in south-west Poland, told her stalking trial at Leicester Crown Court that she tried "everything to get help to find out who I am, get a DNA test with Kate and Gerry McCann."

Prosecutors allege Wandelt peddled the myth she was Madeleine, who went missing aged three during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, while stalking Kate and Gerry McCann by sending emails, making phone calls and turning up at their address.

Yesterday in court, Wendelt denied claiming to be Madeleine for attention or financial gain, saying she “could not be able to heal from my trauma if I never fully know who I am”.

Asked by her barrister Tom Price KC about messages she sent to Madeleine's sister Amelie, Wandelt said: "I tried everything to get help to find out who I am, get a DNA test with Kate and Gerry McCann.

"No one seemed to be interested in helping me."

Questioned about a message she sent to Miss McCann which said "I don't want to give up", Wandelt told jurors: "I wanted to be able to heal from my trauma.

"I knew this was the only way to find out who I am and what exactly happened to me - just where I came from."

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Wendelt also said she never thought sending messages to the Madeleine's sister Amelie would upset her.

Tom Price KC asked if she was being manipulative by sending the messages, Wandelt replied: "No, I think I was being very honest, trying to get the truth of who I really am."

Wandelt told the jury that someone made contact with her on Instagram in June 2024 and sent her photographs of the McCanns.

She said: "I had never seen these photos, so they had to be unpublished. It had to be someone who knew Kate and Gerry."

The defendant added that the messages came "out of the blue" and that anyone had the ability to message her Instagram page.

Julia Wandelt also told a jury an American woman called Fia Johansson contacted her when she made an Instagram account called "I am Madeleine McCann" before they went to the United States together.

Wandelt said: "She said she would be able to help me. A lot of people were warning me saying it could be dangerous. I was desperate. She said she is in touch with Kate and Gerry McCann and they agreed for a DNA test with me."

Tom Price KC asked: "Did you believe her?" and Wandelt replied: "Yes."

Wandelt said: "She came to Poland, flew from United States - it should be a red flag to me but it wasn't at the time. She took over my Instagram account even before she came to Poland."

Wandelt said she flew to the US after Ms Johansson told her she was "in danger in Poland", adding: "The thing is that her attitude towards me changed the moment I entered her house. I started asking when we will go to the UK - that was the plan.

"She organised interviews, not sure actually how or why. I did not see the point for example going on Dr Phil. It was all her idea."

Wandelt told the jury she did not get paid to appear on the Dr Phil psychology chat show.