Kate and Gerry McCann have issued a heartfelt public statement following the conviction of a woman who harassed them by falsely claiming to be their missing daughter Madeleine.
Court Verdict and Emotional Aftermath
Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish national, was found guilty of harassing the McCann family but cleared of stalking charges following a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court. The court heard how Wandelt had pursued the McCanns for nearly three years, making numerous calls, sending messages, and even turning up at their Rothley home demanding a DNA test.
In their first public statement since the verdict, the McCanns expressed no pleasure in the outcome, stating: 'Despite the jury's guilty verdict of harassment, we take no pleasure in the result. Like most people, we did not want to go through a court process and only wanted the harassment to stop.'
The couple emphasised that the decision to prosecute was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service based on evidence gathered by police, and they expressed hope that Wandelt would receive appropriate care and support.
Disturbing Behaviour Patterns
The trial revealed disturbing details about Wandelt's campaign against the McCann family. The court heard she first began believing she was Madeleine McCann in June 2022 while receiving hospital treatment for depression and self-harm. From that point, she embarked on what prosecutors described as a determined effort to convince anyone who would listen that she was the missing girl.
Wandelt's activities included contacting friends of the McCanns and even Madeleine's siblings, Sean and Amelie, who were just two years old when their sister vanished from a holiday apartment in Portugal's Algarve region in 2007. She claimed to have childhood memories of growing up with the twins and even described false memories of her 'abduction'.
Prosecution counsel Michael Duck KC described these claims as 'particularly wicked' given Kate McCann's genuine desperation to find her daughter.
Digital Evidence and Restraining Orders
The court was presented with extensive digital evidence, including video footage showing Wandelt and her friend Karen Spragg checking into a hotel before confronting the McCanns at their Leicestershire home in December. The incident was captured on a neighbour's Ring doorbell.
Audio recordings played in court revealed the moment Wandelt accosted Gerry McCann, with him clearly telling her she was not Madeleine. Another recording featured a police officer from Operation Grange, the Metropolitan Police investigation into Madeleine's disappearance, explicitly informing Wandelt she was not the missing girl.
Both Wandelt and Spragg, a 61-year-old care worker from Cardiff who was cleared of stalking, were given restraining orders. Wandelt received a six-month sentence, though Mrs Justice Cutts noted she had already been in custody since February, longer than the maximum harassment sentence.
Mental Health Considerations
Wandelt's defence barrister Tom Price argued that his client was not wicked but vulnerable, describing her behaviour as that of a 'rather sad and pathetic young woman' acting out of desperation. The court heard Wandelt had experienced significant trauma, including sexual abuse by her step-grandfather as a child.
During the trial, Wandelt broke down on several occasions, at one point screaming at Kate McCann 'why are you doing this to me' as she gave evidence. She later fled the dock screaming when jurors were told unequivocally that she was not Madeleine.
The judge, Mrs Justice Cutts, had urged jurors to put aside emotions or sympathies for the McCanns when considering their verdicts.
Broader Implications and Final Appeal
The case took several unusual turns, including prosecutors attempting to ban all trial reporting after Wandelt gave an interview to a YouTube channel from behind bars. It also emerged that Wandelt had previously claimed she might be other missing children, including American toddler Katelyn Rivera-Helton and German girl Inga Gehricke, before settling on the Madeleine McCann theory.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, Wandelt's father Jacek described his heartache at watching his daughter's obsession unfold, saying: 'I have been following the case, and I just want them to see that Julia is not bad, she is sick and needs help. The situation is madness, I know the McCanns have lost their daughter and don't have any idea of what has happened, but I have lost my daughter as well.'
The McCanns concluded their statement with a renewed appeal: 'If anyone has new evidence relating to Madeleine's disappearance, please pass this on to the police.' The search for answers about what happened to their daughter on that fateful night in Portugal continues, now sixteen years after her disappearance.
