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'A 24-year-old woman who falsely claimed to be missing British girl Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the child's parents. Julia Wandelt, a Polish national, was convicted at Leicester Crown Court following a trial that lasted several weeks. The jury, however, cleared her of stalking charges.
The court heard that between June 2022 and February this year, Wandelt launched an extensive campaign targeting Kate and Gerry McCann. She made numerous phone calls, sent disturbing letters and messages, and even appeared at the family's home in Rothley, Leicestershire. Prosecutors said she contacted Mrs McCann more than 60 times in a single day and left a handwritten note addressed "Dear Mum (Kate)," signed "Lots of love, Madeleine." In several other messages, she called Mrs McCann "mummy" and declared, "you are my mother."
During the trial, Wandelt claimed her belief stemmed from memories uncovered during hypnosis sessions. She described recollections of being abducted and living with the McCanns as a child — "feeding Madeleine's younger brother Sean and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses." She insisted, "I do believe I'm her. I do remember them but I'm exhausted, I'm completely exhausted with all of this."
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC told the court there was "no scientific evidence to connect you to the McCanns." Despite this, Wandelt continued to press for a DNA test, with her lawyer arguing she acted out of confusion and desperation.
Her co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, was acquitted of both stalking and harassment. Prosecutors described Spragg as a "true crime tourist of sorts," alleging she left messages and confronted the couple, though her defence said she was only trying to help verify Wandelt's claims.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, noted that harassment carries a maximum sentence of six months — a period Wandelt has already exceeded in custody since her February arrest.
Giving evidence, Gerry McCann said that claims like Wandelt's "pull your heartstrings" but ultimately harm the search for their daughter. "We don't know what happened to Madeleine," he said. "There's no evidence to say she's dead. We really hope, and we know it's only a glimmer, that Madeleine is alive."
Amelie McCann, Madeleine's younger sister, now 20, described receiving "creepy" messages from Wandelt, calling the ordeal "upsetting." She told jurors, "My mum really struggled with that – her saying 'I'm your daughter.'"
