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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Julia Wandelt was found guilty of harassment at Leicester Crown Court todayPA Julia Wandelt Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann found guilty of harrassing missing girl's parents Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in one day on 13 April last year. 12.05pm, 7 Nov 2025 Share options A POLISH WOMAN who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the missing girl’s parents by turning up at their home and sending sinister letters and messages repeatedly begging for a DNA test. Julia Wandelt, 24, put her hands to her face when jurors returned a guilty verdict for the harassment of Kate and Gerry McCann today, but a not guilty verdict for a charge of stalking. Advertisement A five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court heard Wandelt claimed to have memories, induced by hypnosis sessions, of being abducted and of living with the McCanns as a child, including feeding Madeleine’s younger brother Sean and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses. Jurors heard that Wandelt, who had an emotional outburst while Mrs McCann gave evidence against her, tried to persuade “anybody prepared to listen” that she was Madeleine, and that she had been kidnapped from Portugal and abused with other girls in Poland. Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in one day on 13 April last year, claiming to have a memory of the mother stroking her head and saying she would find her before the abduction. Her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, was found not guilty of stalking and harassment. 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