Karen Spragg and Julia Wandelt are both on trial at Leicester Crown Court, accused of stalking the McCann family from June 2022 to February 2025, causing them serious alarm and distress.

Wandelt claims to be Madeleine McCann, who disappeared in 2007, and has engaged in a campaign of harassment, including visits, emails, and calls to the McCann family, despite DNA tests confirming she is not Madeleine.

Both women deny the stalking charges, which involve causing significant distress through numerous messages, visits, and voice messages, with Wandelt even leaving multiple voice messages begging for help.

Spragg visited the McCanns' home, expressed her support for Wandelt, and believed Wandelt was telling the truth, even confronting Gerry and Kate McCann in December 2024.

Spragg described Wandelt as 'like a daughter' and supported her claims, criticizing police for not doing enough and suggesting the McCanns left their children alone, raising questions about their innocence.

The trial has included testimonies from family friends, police, and forensic experts, and is ongoing as evidence continues to be examined.

During police interviews, Wandelt expressed her belief that her parents might have had another child, based on a comment about drowning their first child, and claimed her concern was influenced by her father.

Wandelt also stated her father made comments suggesting she might not be their biological child, which contributed to her fears about Madeleine's disappearance.

Wandelt has accused the McCann family of her being Madeleine, claiming she believes she is the missing girl and has sent messages and letters to their home, even visiting in December 2024.

In police interviews, Wandelt expressed frustration over her request for a DNA test to prove her identity, asserting she is a victim seeking the truth, and discussed her social media activities related to the case.

DNA analysis has confirmed that Wandelt's DNA does not match Madeleine's or her parents', establishing she is not Madeleine.

Spragg has openly supported Wandelt's conspiracy theories, confronted the McCanns directly, and believed that if a DNA test had been done, Wandelt would not be in prison.