**Disturbing Individual Falsely Claiming to Be Madeleine McCann Confronted by Judge**
*Published Oct. 7, 2025, 2:40 p.m. ET*
RadarOnline.com can reveal that Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old woman who had been falsely claiming to be missing toddler Madeleine McCann, was finally confronted by a judge who confirmed she is not related to the McCann family.
Wandelt broke down in tears in court upon hearing the news that she has no familial link to Madeleine McCann.
### What Did The Court Have To Say?
Currently facing trial, Wandelt is accused of stalking Madeleine’s parents, Gerry and Kate McCann. Prosecutors explained that Wandelt “pursued that myth” by sending emails, making phone calls, and showing up at their home on multiple occasions.
Jurors heard that there is “unequivocal scientific evidence” proving Wandelt is not related to the McCanns, despite her claims of having memories of Madeleine’s childhood and disappearance.
During the trial, prosecutor Michael Duck made a clear statement:
“Can we at this very early stage in the trial make this position clear – that Julia Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann.”
### Co-Defendant Also Accused of Stalking
Wandelt is not the only defendant facing jurors. Co-defendant Karen Spragg, 61, is also accused of stalking Gerry and Kate McCann and causing them serious distress from June 2022 to February 2025.
### “She Pursued That Myth”
Prosecutor Duck strongly criticized Wandelt’s actions:
“Her contention over the two and a half years that followed was that she must have been abducted and taken to Poland, where she lived with people she was erroneously told were her parents.
“You will see and hear occasions where she claims to have evolving memories of what actually happened in May 2007. She pursued claims that she was Madeleine McCann and pursued Madeleine McCann’s parents over time—pursued that myth.”
Duck also revealed that Wandelt obtained Kate McCann’s phone number in April 2024 and continued to push her false agenda with the McCanns. In fact, Wandelt even sent photos to Madeleine’s younger sister in an attempt to “persuade” her that they were somehow related.
“There could never have been a legitimate belief by Julia Wandelt that she was Madeleine McCann,” the prosecutor emphasized. “At the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, Julia Wandelt was not of the same age. She obtained numerous images of Madeleine McCann and the McCann family and compared them to images of herself.”
### Arrest and Confrontations
Earlier this year, Wandelt confronted Kate McCann at her home in the UK, months before being arrested at an airport on charges of harassment.
According to sources, Wandelt flew to the UK in December accompanied by Spragg to plead their case and try to convince Kate that Wandelt was her daughter. The encounter was secretly recorded on a phone Wandelt had in her pocket, RadarOnline.com was told.
In the recording, Kate is heard saying, “This is private property.” Wandelt responds, “Please, please! Only two minutes! I understand you!”
After Kate attempts to ask them to leave, Spragg interjects, “I thought you wanted to find your daughter?” Kate replies, “I do, but I don’t need this,” before threatening to call the police on both women.
Wandelt has had multiple interactions with the McCanns, including one where she claimed to have “results” from a new DNA test analyzed by a “highly respected and recognized world expert, Dr. Monte Miller.”
Julia Wandelt was ultimately arrested on February 19 at Bristol Airport on suspicion of stalking and harassing Gerry and Kate McCann.
### Background: The Madeleine McCann Case
Madeleine McCann disappeared from a Portuguese hotel in 2007 and has not been seen since. Christian Brueckner is currently considered the prime suspect in her disappearance.
https://radaronline.com/p/fake-madeleine-mccann-julia-wandelt-sobs-in-court-not-missing-toddler/
