A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann appeared in court on Monday, accused of stalking the missing girl’s parents in an attempt to “pursue that myth.” Julia Wandelt, 24, allegedly sent unwanted emails, made multiple phone calls, and even showed up at the home of Gerry and Kate McCann.
Wandelt, who believed she had memories of Madeleine’s childhood and her disappearance, even claimed she was trafficked to Poland after the girl went missing in 2007. The court heard that Wandelt tried to convince anyone who would listen that she was Madeleine McCann.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC stated, “You will hear unequivocal scientific evidence in this case that Madeleine McCann is the natural daughter of Kate and Gerry McCann. Julia Wandelt has no familial link to them.”
Wandelt burst into tears and needed a 10-minute break after learning from the prosecutor that she was not Madeleine McCann. Duck further emphasized, “There could never have been a legitimate belief by Julia Wandelt that she was Madeleine McCann, told to the Daily Express.
At the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, Julia Wandelt was not of the same age.” The court was told that Wandelt compared herself to photos of the missing toddler and even tried to persuade Madeleine’s younger sister, Amelie, that they were related.
Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, first contacted the hospital where the McCann parents worked and emailed the Metropolitan Police investigation, Operation Grange. She later messaged Gerry McCann directly: “In June 2022, I started to think maybe I am Madeleine McCann. I am not joking, please take this seriously.”
Wandelt, along with 61-year-old Karen Spragg from Cardiff, both faced charges of stalking, causing alarm, and distress to Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February of this year. Duck claimed both women were part of a group that “perpetuates conspiracy theories” about Madeleine’s disappearance, which occurred in Portugal 18 years ago.
He argued that their “well-planned campaign of harassment” had severely disrupted the McCanns’ daily lives. Jurors were also told that Wandelt went on to call and message Kate McCann over 60 times on a single day in April 2024, pleading, “I never lied. I am not crazy. Please let me prove it.”
Recorded voicemails were played in court, where Wandelt was heard crying, saying, “I beg you, you are my real mother, I remember you and our home, give me a chance to prove it. You are a mummy. You know it’s me. I remember how you hugged me and a pink teddy bear.” The trial is still ongoing and is expected to last up to five weeks.