Could she really be Madeleine McCann? Woman at center of stalking trial breaks down in court over emotional encounter
The courtroom fell silent as Julia Wandelt, the 24-year-old Polish woman who once claimed to be Madeleine McCann, described the moment she came face to face with Kate McCann, the mother of the missing British child whose disappearance continues to haunt the world.
Testifying before Leicester Crown Court, Wandelt recalled how both she and Mrs McCann broke down in tears outside the family’s home in Rothley, Leicestershire, during an encounter that would later form part of the ongoing stalking case.
“I said her name, and she turned around. She started crying straight away—I got too upset,” Wandelt said, her voice trembling as she described the meeting that took place on December 7, 2024. “I wanted to show her a DNA report to prove I was Madeleine.”
But the interaction quickly turned tense. According to Wandelt, Kate McCann refused the conversation and warned that she would call the police. “She said she would call the police, and I told her she could if she wanted,” Wandelt said. “I didn’t mean harm. I just wanted to talk.”
Prosecutors allege that Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, 61, of Cardiff, orchestrated a campaign of harassment against the McCanns that involved emails, phone calls, and repeated attempts to contact them at their home. Both women have pleaded not guilty to stalking charges.
Investigators revealed that when Wandelt was arrested earlier this year at Bristol Airport, DNA samples taken from her conclusively proved she is not Madeleine McCann, who vanished in Portugal in 2007 at age three.
Despite this result, Wandelt told the court that her doubts about her identity persisted due to a troubled childhood marked by alleged abuse and uncertainty about her parentage. “I’m not a liar or an attention seeker,” she told the jury. “I just wanted the truth about who I am.”
She also spoke of her online friendship with co-defendant Spragg, who she described as “a supporter” that became “a daily companion.” Together, they drove from Cardiff to Leicestershire in an effort to meet the McCanns and present what Wandelt believed to be evidence.
The court heard that Wandelt sent numerous messages to the McCanns and their family friends, sometimes calling over 60 times in a single day. In one message, she pleaded: “Please don’t think Madeleine is dead. This is a chance.”
Under cross-examination, Wandelt said she believed “false hope was worth the truth.” She admitted she understood her actions might have caused distress but insisted her intention was not to harass. “If Kate McCann told me to leave her alone after hearing me out, I would have respected that,” she said.
As the trial continues, the world once again finds itself pulled into the lingering shadows of a mystery that has never been solved — a case that began in 2007 on a quiet night in Praia da Luz, Portugal, and still grips hearts across continents today.
FAQ Section
1. Who is Julia Wandelt?
Julia Wandelt is a 24-year-old Polish woman who claimed she might be Madeleine McCann. She is currently on trial in Leicester Crown Court for allegedly stalking Kate and Gerry McCann.
2. What is she accused of?
She and co-defendant Karen Spragg are accused of sending messages, making calls, and showing up at the McCanns’ home, allegedly causing distress to the family.
3. Is Julia Wandelt Madeleine McCann?
No. DNA testing conducted after her arrest proved conclusively that she is not the missing British child.
4. What did she say in court?
She described an emotional encounter with Kate McCann and insisted she only sought the truth about her identity, not fame or attention.
5. What happened to Madeleine McCann?
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a holiday apartment in Portugal in 2007 when she was three years old. Her case remains one of the most famous unsolved missing person cases in the world.
