Polish woman pleads not guilty to stalking McCann family

A trial has been set for October this year

Court artist sketch of Julia Wandel (right), appearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court in February 2025
Author: Charlotte LinnecarPublished 22nd Apr 2025

A woman from Poland has pleaded not guilty to stalking the parents and siblings of missing Leicester girl Madeleine McCann, having previously claimed to be her.

23 year old Julia Wandel, from Lubin in south-west Poland, appeared in the dock at Leicester Crown Court today, 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 messages to the McCann children.

60 year old Karen Spragg, from Caerau in Cardiff also appeared at court today, she's alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann. She also denied a charge of stalking the family.

Wandel was remanded back into custody while Spragg was granted conditional bail.

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

Listen to KISS, KISSTORY and KISS Xtra on our free Rayo app, by hitting the play button on the bottom of your screen and on your smart speaker (‘Play KISS FM’, ‘Play KISSTORY’, ‘Play KISS Xtra’). KISS and KISSTORY are also available on DAB.