Two individuals, Julia Wandelt and Karen Spragg, are currently facing trial for allegedly stalking the family of missing Madeleine McCann. Wandelt, a Polish national aged 24, is accused of stalking Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry, as well as her younger siblings, Sean and Amelie. She is alleged to have visited the family home, sent various forms of communication including letters, calls, voicemails, and messages on WhatsApp and Instagram to the McCann family.
On the other hand, Spragg, aged 61 and from Cardiff, faces one count of stalking causing serious alarm or distress. She is accused of making calls, sending letters, and visiting the residence of Mr. and Mrs. McCann between June 2022 and February 2025. The case revolves around the unsolved disappearance of Madeleine in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in 2007 when she was three years old.
During the trial, it was revealed to the jury that there is clear scientific evidence disproving any familial connection between Wandelt and the McCanns, despite her claims of memories related to the McCann family. Wandelt was emotional as the prosecution emphasized that she is not Madeleine McCann and continued to listen to the proceedings alongside Spragg.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC detailed how Wandelt began asserting her identity as Madeleine from June 2022, persistently trying to convince others of this false claim. Wandelt allegedly reached out to the McCanns and even contacted a missing person charity to further her narrative. Despite repeated refusals from the McCann family, she continued her attempts to persuade them of her identity.
The prosecution highlighted Wandelt’s messages to Kate and Amelie McCann, where she made claims of shared memories and pleaded for acceptance. Additionally, Wandelt’s actions included digitally altering images of herself to resemble Madeleine’s sister, Amelie, in an effort to support her false identity.
The trial was temporarily halted, with the judge emphasizing to the jury that Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann. The prosecution stressed the emotional distress caused to the McCann family by Wandelt’s prolonged campaign of harassment. Both Wandelt and Spragg are facing charges of stalking, with the trial set to continue in the following days.
