Madeleine McCann Harassment Case: Woman Guilty Verdict
Woman Claiming to Be Madeleine McCann Found Guilty of Harassment
Table of Contents
Updated November 7, 2025, 13:23:27
Case Overview
Julia Wandelt, age 24, was found guilty of harassing Kate and gerry McCann, the parents of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in 2007. The verdict, delivered by a jury at Leicester Crown court, stemmed from wandelt’s persistent attempts to contact the McCanns, including numerous messages and letters requesting a DNA test to prove her claim of being madeleine.
While convicted of harassment, Wandelt was acquitted on a separate charge of stalking. Her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, was also found not guilty of stalking and harassment.
the Claims and Evidence Presented
wandelt asserted that she had recovered memories,through hypnosis,of being abducted from portugal and subsequently abused. she alleged experiencing recollections of living with the McCann family, including interactions with their son, Sean, and engaging in childhood games. During the five-week trial,Wandelt reportedly became emotionally distressed while Kate McCann provided testimony against her.
The prosecution presented evidence of over 60 calls and messages Wandelt sent to Kate McCann in a single day on April 13 of the previous year. These communications included a claim that Wandelt remembered kate McCann stroking her head and promising to find her before the abduction.
The Disappearance of madeleine McCann
Madeleine McCann vanished on May 3, 2007, from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal. At the time of her disappearance, she was three years old and was sleeping with her twin siblings while her parents dined at a nearby restaurant.
The case remains open, and the search for Madeleine McCann continues to garner international attention. The ongoing investigation has faced numerous challenges and generated widespread media coverage over the years.