Kate McCann tells court of stress caused by alleged stalker calling her Mum'

"Kate McCann has said it was hard to hear an alleged stalker refer to her as Mum, as she gave evidence in the trial of a woman who claimed to be her missing daughter. Speaking from behind a screen, McCann told Leicester crown court she was left frightened and distressed by the actions of Julia Wandelt, 24, who is accused of a two-and-a-half-year harassment campaign."

"McCann described getting out of her car alone and 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 Wandelt pretty quickly from the pictures she had sent, she said. She was quite vivid in my mind anyway because of all the communications, she said. I got a fright and when I realised who it was I felt quite distressed."

Kate McCann gave evidence at Leicester Crown Court that a woman, Julia Wandelt, repeatedly called her 'Mum' and claimed to be her missing daughter, causing fear and distress. Wandelt and co-defendant Karen Spragg are accused of a two-and-a-half-year campaign of calls, messages, letters and waiting outside the family home. Communications included a letter signed 'Madeleine x' and requests for a DNA test. McCann said being called 'Mum' was particularly painful because of her longing for Madeleine, who disappeared aged three in Praia da Luz in 2007. An incident outside the home left McCann frightened and distressed.

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