Overview
- Jurors at Leicester Crown Court found Julia Wandelt guilty of harassment but not guilty of stalking after a five-week trial.
- Judge Johanna Cutts imposed the statutory maximum six-month sentence, credited as time served since Wandelt’s February arrest, with a deportation order issued.
- An indefinite restraining order bars Wandelt from contacting the McCanns and entering Leicestershire, while co-defendant Karen Spragg was acquitted but given a five-year county ban.
- Prosecutors presented unequivocal DNA evidence showing no familial link to the McCanns, countering Wandelt’s repeated claims and her December 2024 doorstep approach and letter addressed “Dear Mum (Kate)”.
- In a statement via police, Kate and Gerry McCann said they take no pleasure in the result, urged anyone with new evidence to contact investigators, and expressed hope Wandelt receives appropriate care.