Madeleine McCann Stalker: ‘Genuine Belief’ Claim | UK News

Woman Accused of Stalking McCann Family Believed She Was Madeleine, Court Hears

A 24-year-old woman accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann held a “genuine adn honestly held belief” that she was the missing child, a court was told. Julia Wandelt,from Poland,is on trial alongside Karen Spragg,61,accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February of this year.

Wandelt, who denies claiming to be Madeleine for attention or financial gain, testified that she continues to question her own identity. She stated she has struggled to reconcile fragmented memories, recalling only experiences of abuse following trauma inflicted by her step-grandfather. “I could not be able to heal from my trauma if I never fully know who I am,” she told the court.

Prosecutors allege that Wandelt engaged in a campaign of harassment, sending emails, making phone calls, and appearing at the McCanns’ home, all fueled by the conviction she was Madeleine, who disappeared in 2007 from a holiday in Portugal at the age of three.The defendant also revealed she had self-harmed and attempted suicide following the abuse she endured.

Did you know? – Madeleine McCann disappeared May 3, 2007, from her bed in a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, while her parents dined nearby. The case remains unsolved despite extensive inquiry.

The court heard that Wandelt’s search for her identity began in 2022 after her father informed her that her abuser had a history of kidnapping. This prompted her to search missing persons databases, where she ultimately found a match in Madeleine McCann. “There were not actually a lot of people my age or around my age, but that is how I found Madeleine,” she explained. Her motivation, she insisted, was simply to understand her own past. “I just wanted to find out who I am…what happened to me and if my parents are my parents.”

Defense counsel, Tom Price KC, emphasized that Wandelt’s belief was “genuine and honestly held.” He presented evidence of an email sent to the McCanns on June 24, 2022, in which Wandelt wrote, “Hello I’m writing you because I think I could be Madeleine McCann, the reason why I think I could be Maddie.” She went on to cite a birthmark on her eye – now faded – as one reason for her conviction.

Pro tip: – Stalking is a serious offense. In many jurisdictions, it involves a pattern of unwanted and repeated attention, harassment, contact, or any other course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear.

Wandelt further detailed a series of discrepancies that fueled her doubts about her own life story, including concerns that her official documents might be falsified, her lack of memories before the age of nine, and her parents’ refusal to provide her with a birth certificate. She also described a conversation with a psychologist that prompted deeper introspection. “She made me reflect on my life more and think about everything that happened. I realised I only remember abuse. My friends, they could remember things,” she stated. “I started with asking questions as I just could not believe there was nothing else in the story of what happened to me.”

The defendant claimed her parents, who allegedly refused a DNA test, physically differed from her, possessing dark hair and eyes. She expressed surprise at their refusal, particularly given her emotional state.

Reader question: – how much weight should a court give to a defendant’s sincerely held, but demonstrably false, beliefs when considering charges of harassment or stalking?

Why: Julia Wandelt believed she was Madeleine McCann due to fragmented memories and a history of abuse. This belief drove her actions.
Who: Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish woman, is accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann. Karen Spragg, 61, is also accused in the stalking case. The