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The mother of missing Madeleine McCann has described to a court how it was painful to listen to a woman accused of harassment address her as “mum,” while claiming to be her long-lost daughter.

Giving evidence from a shielded position, McCann explained that the actions of Julia Wandelt left her frightened and distressed. The accused is alleged to have carried out a two-and-a-half year persistent stalking that ended with her arrest in February.

The Polish national is charged with repeatedly calling McCann as “mum” on multiple occasions, as she maintained she was Madeleine, who was three when she vanished during a family holiday in Praia da Luz in the year 2007.

Among these communications was a written message ended “Madeleine x.”

“That was an example of a thing that was affecting me deeply,” McCann testified. “It’s clear the thing I desire above all … is for my daughter to be back and for her to be saying ‘mum’. And that was extremely painful for me.”

She added, “Calling me as ‘mum’ is difficult.”

Confrontation at their residence

The court heard that Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman from Wales, had bombarded the family with repeated communications and were lingering near their house on the night of December 7th.

As she exited her car by herself, she recalled a voice calling out in the night saying “Kate.”

“I was aware it was someone behind me but I was unsure who it was,” she said. “It startled me.”

Turning round, she recognised Wandelt “almost immediately” from pictures previously received, McCann testified. “She was quite vivid in my mind in any case because of all the communications,” she noted.

“I got a fright and when I understood who it was I felt very upset. I think I’d been on edge anyway with the ongoing messages and it just bubbled up.”

McCann stated she managed to get inside the house even though Wandelt “putting her hands out trying to stop me closing the door.”

Request for DNA and fleeting uncertainty

The pair had been asking for a DNA test, something Kate said she would have been unable to do without the participation of the police, who had already ruled out the possibility that Wandelt was her daughter.

She admitted she had avoided encouraging the women, but confessed she had experienced a brief hesitation.

“I think because [the alleged harassment] was becoming overwhelming, a little bit of my brain was saying ‘could it be?’, even though I was certain …

“I guess having seen a picture of her, and she’s Polish, none of it made any sense.

“I can’t say what Madeleine looks like now, but if I saw a photo of her, I would know her instantly.

“When I say there was a doubt, it was minuscule.”

Madeleine’s father testifies about the same evening

Madeleine’s father was questioned regarding the same evening in the proceedings on the following day. He had come home after his wife to be confronted by the defendants, which he described as “pretty horrible.”

He further mentioned being sure the accused was not his lost child and said that at one point he had answered the phone to her.

“I can’t remember my precise phrasing but I said something like: ‘You are not my daughter, please cease contacting us’.”

He found it difficult to speak through the visible distress as he discussed trying to shield his remaining children from the public attention brought by Madeleine’s case.

“Social media can be harmful, all the negative comments that have been posted about us and malicious content online, so obviously we wanted to try to keep them safe from that,” he said.

Heartfelt account and courtroom outburst

Kate McCann had also been emotional during her testimony when she explained it was only when the defendant contacted their adult child her daughter that they had chosen to pursue things through the police. She spoke tearfully as she explained that her daughter and her twin brother Sean had had to face a lot.

The accused started crying from the court enclosure in what seemed like an effort to ensure McCann could hear her. She was escorted to the back of the enclosure, where she shouted: “Why are you doing this to me?” She was taken through the door that goes to the holding area and her weeping could be audible resounding in the corridor.

Wandelt and Spragg deny the allegations against them.

Proceedings are ongoing.