Polish Woman, Welsh Accomplice Deny Stalking Madeleine McCann's Parents in Multi-Year Harassment Case

Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old woman from Poland, has been on trial alongside Karen Spragg from Wales for stalking the parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann by falsely claiming to be Madeleine. Prosecutors outlined that Wandelt engaged in a prolonged campaign of harassment over two and a half years, involving emails, phone calls, and visits to the McCanns' home, including making over 60 calls and messages in one day. Scientific evidence confirmed that Wandelt has no familial link to the McCanns, and she claimed to be Madeleine as part of a myth she pursued, even asserting she had been abducted and taken to Poland. Wandelt also claimed to be other missing girls, attempting to insert herself into multiple missing person cases, and contacted charities associated with such cases. The McCanns have endured relentless publicity and distress from false claims and conspiracy theories perpetuated by individuals including Wandelt and Spragg. Both defendants deny the stalking charges causing serious alarm or distress between 2022 and 2025, with the court hearing detailed evidence of their alleged harassment.