Madeleine McCann Imposter Convicted of Harassing Missing Girl's Parents — and Parents Offer Sympathy By Nicole Acosta

The Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been convicted of harassing the missing girl’s parents.

Julia Wandelt, 24, was found not guilty of the more serious charge of stalking and her supporter, Karen Spragg, 61, was acquitted of all charges on Nov. 7 after a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court in England, per the BBC and The Guardian.

Wandelt was subsequently sentenced to six months in prison — which she has already served — and faces deportation after an order was served in the court, The Guardian reported.

She has claimed for years to be Madeleine, who was 3 years old when she vanished from her bed at her family’s vacation apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007. 

In December 2024, Wandelt went to Kate and Gerry McCann’s home in Leicestershire demanding the missing girl’s father submit to a DNA test. Spragg accompanied Wandelt that day. The next day, Wandelt returned to the home and left a letter on their door that she addressed to Kate and signed as her missing daughter, per the BBC. However, a DNA test showed that she was not the missing girl, who was born two years after her.

Wandelt initially got in contact with Madeleine’s younger sister, Amelie McCann, on social media in January 2024 after multiple failed attempts to contact her parents, per the BBC. Amelie and her parents testified in court about the ordeal, with Amelie saying she tried to deal with the constant contact from Wandelt herself, per the BBC. Her twin brother, Sean, had a statement read in court on his behalf, which explained how he quickly blocked Wandelt on social media, the outlet reported.

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During trial, Wandelt testified, “I do believe I’m her. I do remember them but I’m exhausted, I’m completely exhausted with all of this,” The Guardian reported. She also told the court she had memories of living with the McCann family and playing with the siblings, per the outlet.

The judge handed down restraining orders to both women, who are banned from contacting Kate and Gerry and visiting Leicestershire, the BBC reported.

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The missing girl’s parents spoke after the verdict: “Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop,” The Guardian reported.

They added, “We hope Ms Wandelt will receive the appropriate care and support she needs and any vulnerability will not be exploited by others,” per the outlet.

The parents were initially deemed suspects in Madeleine’s disappearance, but they were later cleared by authorities. No charges have ever been brought in connection with the girl’s disappearance and it’s unclear if she’s still alive. She would be 22 today.