Overview

• Julia Wandelt, 24, and Karen Spragg, 61, went on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February 2025.
• The prosecution said there is unequivocal scientific evidence showing Wandelt has no familial link to the McCanns and noted an age mismatch with Madeleine.
• Jurors heard allegations of a sustained campaign of harassment including letters, emails, WhatsApp messages, visits to the McCanns’ village and home, and more than 60 calls to Kate McCann in a single day.
• The court was told Wandelt messaged Madeleine’s siblings, sent altered images to Amelie using AI tools, and contacted the Missing Years Ago charity while also claiming to be Inga Gehricke and Acacia Bishop.
• Wandelt cried in the dock when told she is not Madeleine as voicemails to Kate McCann were played, and the jury is expected to hear testimony from Sean and Amelie along with forensic evidence.