A Polish woman who falsely claimed to be missing child Madeleine McCann has been convicted of harassing the girl’s parents after a two-year campaign that caused significant distress. Julia Wandelt, 24, from Lubin, Poland, was sentenced to six months in prison, time she has already served, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court. Her supporter, 61-year-old Karen Spragg of Cardiff, was acquitted of all charges.
Prosecutors said Wandelt’s actions began in 2022, when she started claiming online that she was Madeleine McCann, the British toddler who vanished from a Portuguese resort in 2007. Using the social-media handle @IAmMadeleineMcCann, Wandelt drew international attention and amassed more than a million followers. She appeared on U.S. television, including the program “Dr Phil,” repeating her belief that she was the missing child.
Despite a DNA test conducted after her February 2025 arrest conclusively proving she was not related to the McCann family, Wandelt continued to insist she might be Madeleine. The court heard that she had previously identified herself as two other missing children before focusing on the McCann case.
According to testimony, Wandelt began contacting Kate and Gerry McCann in 2022 through their workplaces and later through social media. Her messages multiplied into hundreds of calls, emails and letters, many signed “Madeleine x.” She also reached out to the couple’s adult twins, Amelie and Sean, and to family friends and associates. In December 2024, Wandelt and Spragg went to the McCanns’ Leicestershire home, demanding a DNA test and confronting Kate McCann in her driveway. The next day, Wandelt left a letter addressed to “Mum,” which prosecutors said deepened the family’s distress.
During the trial, the McCanns testified from behind a privacy screen. Kate McCann described feeling “invaded in her own home,” while Gerry McCann said the ordeal revived painful memories of earlier media attention. Their daughter Amelie told jurors that Wandelt had sent her doctored photographs showing the two together as children and letters that she described as disturbing.
Judge Mrs Justice Cutts said Wandelt’s difficult upbringing did not excuse her conduct. “There was not proper or logical basis for this,” she told the defendant, emphasizing that it had been definitively proven she was not Madeleine McCann. The judge called the December attempt to contact the family “unwarranted” and said the McCanns were entitled to refuse any engagement.
The court issued restraining orders barring both women from contacting the McCanns or entering Leicestershire. Wandelt’s order will remain in force indefinitely, while Spragg’s lasts for five years. Wandelt also faces deportation following her release from custody.
Evidence presented at trial showed that Wandelt and Spragg exchanged messages discussing plans to collect DNA samples from the McCanns, including by going through their trash bins. Recordings played in court revealed the McCanns pleading with the women to leave them alone. Prosecutors said Wandelt showed little remorse, interrupting proceedings and questioning the authenticity of DNA results.
In a statement issued after the verdict, Kate and Gerry McCann said they took no satisfaction from the outcome but hoped Wandelt would receive appropriate care and support. They reiterated that anyone with genuine information about Madeleine’s disappearance should contact police.
Madeleine McCann disappeared on May 3, 2007, while on vacation with her family in Praia da Luz, Portugal. Despite extensive investigations in multiple countries, no charges have been brought in connection with her disappearance. She would be 22 years old this year.
Sources: People, BBC News, The Guardian
