Overview

• The McCanns will be guarded by police at the 18th annual vigil in Rothley due to stalking fears, marking the first police presence at the event in eight years.
• Two women, Julia Wandel and Karen Spragg, are charged with stalking the McCann family, with a trial scheduled for October 2025 where the McCanns will testify.
• Wandel allegedly claimed to be Madeleine McCann and visited the family's home uninvited last year, prompting heightened security measures this year.
• The vigil, set for 7pm at Rothley's war memorial, continues to draw local support as the family marks 18 years since Madeleine's disappearance in Portugal in 2007.
• Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the case, remains imprisoned in Germany and denies involvement, with investigators linking him to evidence found in Portugal.