She said she had been abused as a child and her dad said her abuser was ‘involved in kidnapping’, which made her suspect she had been snatched

A WOMAN accused of stalking Madeleine McCann’s parents told a court she might have been abducted as a child.

Julia Wandelt, 24, who claimed she is the missing Brit, is said to have bombarded Kate and Gerry McCann with calls and letters.

Julia Wandelt told a court she might have been abducted as a childCredit: Dr Fia Johansson

Wandelt has been accused of stalking Gerry and Kate McCannCredit: Getty
She confronted the couple at their home in Rothley, Leics, to demand a DNA test.

Madeleine, three, vanished from the McCann family’s holiday flat in Portugal, in May 2007.

The accused said she had been abused as a child and her dad said her abuser was “involved in kidnapping”, which made her suspect she had been snatched.

Wandelt added that he didn’t say who the man was alleged to have kidnapped, but it led to her thinking ‘maybe I was abducted, not adopted

As a result, she started researching online databases to see if any matched her details and appearance.

Wandelt added: “I just wanted to check if there were any missing children my age.

“There were a lot of people around my age. That is how I found Madeleine.”

Asked by her barrister Tom Price KC if she had ‘any idea how big a story Madeleine McCann was’, Wandelt replied: “No. No idea.”

She told the court that was the ‘first time she learned about the case’ and joined Facebook groups in a bid to find out more, as well as reading the Find Madeleine website.

She denies stalking between 2022 and this February.

The Leicester crown court trial continues.

Madeleine, three, vanished from the McCann family’s holiday flat in Portugal, in May 2007Credit: PA:Press Association