Woman Accused of Pretending to Be Madeleine McCann and Stalking Parents Speaks Out in Court

A Polish woman who falsely claimed to be Madeleine McCann — the British girl who vanished in 2007 — has spoken out during her ongoing trial in the U.K.

Julia Wandelt, 24, appeared before Leicester Crown Court following a December 2024 incident in which she went to the McCanns’ home and demanded that they take a DNA test. She was later charged with stalking.

During cross-examination, Wandelt grew emotional, saying, “Actually, I don’t care any more. I’m just exhausted with it,” according to BBC.

Wandelt had long insisted she was Madeleine and eventually contacted the missing girl’s younger sister, Amelie McCann, on social media in January 2024 after being unable to reach the parents directly. Amelie previously told the court she thought she could handle the harassment on her own, BBC reported.

Amelie testified that Wandelt tried to persuade her that they were sisters, even recounting supposed childhood memories from before Madeleine disappeared. She added that their mother, Kate McCann, suffered the most from Wandelt’s behavior, saying it “took a toll on her well-being,” per BBC.

In December 2024, Wandelt allegedly traveled to the McCanns’ home and demanded that Gerry McCann provide a DNA sample. The following day, she returned and left a handwritten letter addressed to Kate McCann, signing it as “Madeleine,” according to BBC.

A subsequent DNA test confirmed that Wandelt was not the missing child — she had been born two years after Madeleine’s disappearance.

Madeleine McCann was 3 years old when she vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on May 3, 2007. Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, were dining nearby while Madeleine and her younger twin siblings slept in the unlocked rental apartment.

Although the McCanns were initially treated as suspects, they were later cleared by authorities. No one has ever been charged in connection with the case, and Madeleine’s fate remains unknown.