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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
National
Matt Watts

Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann denies stalking missing girl's family by ‘turning up at family home’

A woman has pleaded not guilty to stalking the parents and siblings of Madeleine McCann after claiming to be the missing girl in the past.

Polish national Julia Wandel, 23, appeared in the dock at Leicester Crown Court accused of making calls, leaving voicemails, and sending a letter and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann.

She is also accused of turning up at their family home on two occasions last year and sending Sean and Amelie McCann Instagram messages.

Karen Spragg, 60, from Caerau in Cardiff, who is alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann, also denied a charge of stalking the family.

Julia Wandel is charged with stalking the parents and siblings of Madeleine McCann (Elizabeth Cook/PA) (PA Wire)

Wandel, 23, from Lubin in south-west Poland, claimed to be the missing girl on Instagram in 2023, but a DNA test said she was Polish.

She spoke to confirm her name was Julia Wandel "according to documents" and to enter her plea during the hearing.

The defendant, who is also known as Julia Wandelt, is alleged to have attended the family home in Leicestershire on May 2 and December 7 last year according to a previous court appearance, and she was arrested at Bristol Airport in February.

Karen Spragg entered her plea at Leicester Crown Court (Jacob King/PA) (PA Wire)

She was remanded back into custody by Judge Timothy Spencer KC to appear in court in August to decide if she will be granted bail.

Spragg, 60, who stood in the dock beside Wandel, is charged with one count of stalking causing serious alarm or distress.

She was granted bail with conditions not to contact Mr and Mrs McCann, their children and two family friends, not to enter Leicestershire unless attending court and to live and sleep at her home address.

Madeleine was three when she vanished while on holiday with her parents in Praia da Luz (PA) (PA Media)

Both women will appear at the same court for trial on October 2.

Madeleine McCann's disappearance at the age of three in Portugal's Algarve in 2007, during a family holiday, remains unsolved.

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