Trial date to pleading not guilty: An update on Julia Wandelt who claims she’s Madeleine McCann

The mystery surrounding Madeleine McCann’s disappearance has been given new life in a Channel 4 documentary, but amidst claims of newly uncovered evidence, the Polish woman claiming to be the missing child, Julia Wandelt, is awaiting her trial.

Airing on May 7, Madeleine McCann: The Unseen Evidence “uncovers further evidence that could point towards the prime suspect’s involvement in this unsolved crime.” The suspect in question is Christian Brueckner, a German man who was acquitted of unrelated sexual abuse crimes last year. Should the documentary provide new evidence on Madeleine’s disappearance, he could find himself facing new charges.

As we wait to see whether the investigation will spark explanations of the decade-old cold case, here’s an update on Julia Wandelt’s ongoing legal issues.

Before being arrested, Julia Wandelt was posting ‘evidence’ of her being Madeleine McCann

Of course, the ongoing investigation comes amid several people claiming to be the daughter of Gerry and Kate McCann. Julia Wandelt is undoubtedly the most famous of the Madeleine McCann wannabes, but there are several others, including American woman Eugenea Collins.

In the weeks and months leading up to her arrest, Julia Wandelt was posting swaths of so-called “evidence” to her Instagram account, such as expert statements, crime scene comparisons, DNA results, voice comparisons, teeth comparisons, and eye comparisons. She claimed it was substantiated by experts in their field, but people questioned the validity of her sources.

She was arrested and charged in February

Unrelated to her Instagram presence, Julia was arrested in February at Bristol airport when she attempted to enter the country from Poland to meet a friend in Cardiff. Julia, along with a woman in her 60s who was also arrested, was accused of stalking and harassing Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry.

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“She was arrested at around 8 pm in Bristol airport and remains in custody. I’m not prepared to make any further comment,” her rep said at the time. “The police have reportedly arrested her on an allegation of stalking and harassing the McCanns.”

Similarly, the police confirmed to The Sun: “Last night (Wednesday 19 February) two women were arrested at Bristol Airport as part of an ongoing investigation. A 23-year-old woman from Poland and a 60-year-old woman from Wales were arrested on suspicion of stalking involving serious alarm/distress. They both remain in custody and enquiries are continuing.”

The following day, Julia was formally charged with “stalking offences” that allegedly took place across 2024 and into 2025. Specifically, she was accused of sending letters, calls, voicemails and WhatsApp messages to Kate McCann, Gerald McCann, Madeleine’s sister Amelie, and her brother Sean. She was even accused of turning up at their house.

“A woman has been charged with stalking offences following her arrest at Bristol Airport on Wednesday (19 February). Julia Wandel – also known as Julia Wandelt – 23, of Lubin, Poland, has been charged with four counts of stalking,” a police rep told the MailOnline.

“Two counts relate to offences between 2 May 2024 and 15 February 2025, a third count relates to offences between 3 January 2024 and 21 April 2024, and the fourth count for offences between 27 November 2024 and 29 December 2024. She has been remanded in custody to appear at Leicester Magistrates’ Court today (Friday, 21 February). The 60-year-old, from Wales, arrested on suspicion of stalking, has been released on police bail.”

Her bail application was denied in March

At the end of March, Julia Wandelt’s lawyer unsuccessfully attempted to have his client released on bail in what The Independent reported as a “15-minute bail application at Leicester Crown Court.”

At the same time, the 60-year-old woman, then identified as Karen Spragg, was charged with one count of stalking involving “serious alarm” or “distress” between May 3 2024 and February 21 2025. During that time, she reportedly made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Gerry and Kate McCann.

“Your case is going to the crown court and the date for that is April 22. You have heard the bail conditions, if you break any of those, you are likely to be arrested,” Chair of the bench Elizabeth Needham said while releasing Karen on bail. “If you do not attend court, that is likely to be a breach of your bail. In the meantime, keep in contact with your solicitor.”

Julia Wandelt pleaded not guilty in April

On April 22, both Karen Spragg and Julia Wandelt appeared in Leicester Crown Court, where the latter entered an official plea of not guilty. Though Karen was granted bail on the condition that she doesn’t contact the McCanns, Julia was remanded back into custody by Judge Timothy Spencer KC.

In August, Julia will appear in court once again, where it will be decided if she’s to be granted bail before her trial.

Her trial is set for October

The trial is officially set for October 2, where both Julia Wandelt and Karen Spragg could face 12 months in custody and/or an unlimited fine, according to Metro.

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Featured image credit: BBC