The ongoing trial at Leicester Crown Court has brought renewed attention to the McCann family, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared in 2007 during a family holiday in Portugal. On October 9, 2025, the courtroom was filled with emotion and tension as key witnesses gave evidence against two women accused of stalking the family: Julia Wandelt, 24, from Lubin, Poland, and Karen Spragg, 61, from Caerau, Cardiff. Both women deny the charges.
The case centers on a series of disturbing events that have unfolded since June 2022. According to BBC News, Julia Wandelt began contacting the McCann family and others connected to them, claiming she was the missing Madeleine. These contacts started with a Polish missing persons charity, where Wandelt had previously claimed to be two other missing children. But her focus quickly turned to the McCanns, and her efforts intensified.
Amelie McCann, Madeleine’s younger sister, gave evidence remotely, describing the persistent and unsettling nature of Wandelt’s communications. As reported by Sky News, Amelie recounted receiving numerous social media messages and letters from Wandelt starting in January 2024. One message read, “I know so many things. I don’t know if this is the real account for Amelie McCann but I can tell you my memories.”
Wandelt’s alleged efforts to convince Amelie and her mother Kate McCann included sending edited images meant to highlight a supposed family resemblance. “She’d clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was disturbing,” Amelie told the court. “I didn’t look like that and I knew it had been changed.” She added that the messages were “quite disturbing,” and that Wandelt’s supposed memories of childhood games were “creepy.”
Amelie also described how Wandelt’s actions had a profound effect on her mother, Kate. “It definitely took a toll on her and her wellbeing because all the time her phone would be going off and it would be Julia,” Amelie said. The harassment reached a peak in December 2024, when Wandelt and Spragg allegedly turned up outside the McCann family home. This incident prompted the family to strengthen their home security, including installing an alarm system that could alert the police if needed.
Kate McCann herself gave emotional testimony from behind a privacy screen—a measure the court emphasized was standard and not a reflection on the defendants. According to BBC News, Kate described the contact with her daughter Amelie as “the final straw” that led her to call the police. She also recounted her fear and sense of invasion when the defendants appeared outside her home on a dark, stormy December evening. “I pulled up on the drive, it was really dark, it was the weekend—we had really bad gales. I was opening the boot to get stuff out and I heard ‘Kate’—it gave me a fright,” she said.
Kate also addressed a letter Wandelt had tried to force into her husband’s hand, signed off with Madeleine’s name and a kiss. “I think that is an example of the thing that was upsetting me most,” she told the court. She made it clear that, despite the years that have passed and the uncertainty about Madeleine’s fate, she did not believe Wandelt could be her daughter. “I know I can’t say what Madeleine looks like now, but I know I’d recognise her,” Kate said.
Gerry McCann also took the stand, describing the emotional toll the ordeal has taken on the family. He recalled the phone “repeatedly ringing” and said that on one occasion he answered and told the caller, “You’re not Madeleine.” He acknowledged the pain of not knowing what happened to his daughter, stating, “We don’t know what happened to Madeleine; there’s no evidence she’s dead. When people claim to be your missing daughter you haven’t seen for this long, it pulls on your heartstrings. But it is damaging the search for Madeleine.”
Sean McCann, Amelie’s twin brother, contributed a written statement in which he called Wandelt’s claims “upsetting and disrespectful.” He expressed some guilt, noting that he believed Wandelt might be suffering from a mental health condition, but added, “If she is fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims she is, that will be very upsetting for me.”
The trial also heard from Linda McQueen, a lifelong friend of Kate McCann, and her daughter Ellie McQueen. Linda described receiving “relentless” messages from Wandelt, starting in June 2023, that included claims about DNA matches with the Portuguese crime scene and knowledge of personal relationships within the McCann circle. “It was quite unnerving somebody knew so much about me,” Linda said. She added that the messages were “very overwhelming,” and that Wandelt was persistent in trying to pressure her to contact Kate McCann. “It wasn’t just Kate but anyone who knew Kate and could get to her,” Linda testified.
Ellie McQueen also received messages from Wandelt, starting in June 2024. She told the court that Wandelt asked for help contacting the McCanns and tried to provide “DNA evidence” to support her claim of being Madeleine. Ellie described Wandelt as “upset and aggravated” in her communications and said she was “shocked” and “quite upset” when she realized the extent of the contact.
The prosecution presented evidence that Wandelt’s campaign extended to conspiracy theories about the McCann parents, with Spragg described as a “forthright” supporter of these theories. The court heard that Wandelt’s contact was not limited to the immediate family but spread to friends and acquaintances, increasing the distress experienced by all involved.
Wandelt was ultimately arrested in February 2025 after arriving at Bristol Airport, with Spragg detained in a nearby car park. Both women deny the stalking charges, and the trial continues as more evidence is presented. The proceedings have laid bare the emotional impact of persistent harassment on a family already living with the pain of an unresolved disappearance.
The case serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing challenges faced by the McCann family, as well as the broader issue of how modern communication tools can be misused to cause distress and spread misinformation. As the trial moves forward, the court—and the public—await the outcome, hoping for some measure of closure for a family that has endured so much.
