US EditionWoman claiming to be Madeleine McCann 'stalked' parents
Julia Wandelt allegedly sent over 60 calls and messages in one day and falsely claimed to be Madeleine McCann as part of a harassment campaign lasting nearly three years.
- On Monday, two women went on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of stalking Madeleine McCann's family between June 2022 and February this year; Julia Wandelt, 24, Lubin, Poland, and Karen Spragg, 61, Caerau, Cardiff, deny the charges.
- From June 2022, Julia Wandelt began claiming she was Madeleine and told jurors she was abducted and taken to Poland; prosecutors say she contacted a Polish charity despite scientific evidence disproving any familial link.
- Prosecutors say Wandelt used emails, calls, voicemails, WhatsApp and Instagram and also visited the family's home, making more than 60 contact attempts from January 2023 to April 2024, including 60 calls in one day and a nearly two-minute voicemail to Kate McCann.
- Both defendants deny the stalking charge, and prosecutors say the behaviour caused significant harm to Kate and Gerry McCann; Prosecutor Michael Duck KC highlighted Spragg amplified Wandelt's false claims online this year.
- Against the backdrop of nearly 20 years since Madeleine McCann's disappearance, Prosecutor Michael Duck KC warned `There remains a group of individuals who continue to fail to acknowledge their plight and perpetuate conspiracy theories`.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Sydney Morning Herald
Fake Madeleine McCann contacted girl’s mother 60 times in one day, court told
Julia Wandelt, who is on trial for stalking, was obsessed with the idea she was Kate McCann’s missing three-year-old when she allegedly bombarded the British mother with calls, messages and home visits.
Julia Wandelt, 24, has previously pretended to be other missing children. Now she is in court for stalking Madeleine McCann's parents. "Don't give up on your daughter.
Madeleine McCann pretender cries in court during stalking trial after hearing of 'unequivocal proof' she is NOT missing Briton
A woman who falsely claimed to be Madeleine McCann burst into tears in the courtroom after being told she was not the missing British toddler.Julia Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland called and messaged Kate McCann 60 times in a single day, including about her alleged memories of the girl’s abduction.Wandelt is on trial with Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, but both deny stalking Kate and Gerry McCann causing seri…
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