Women Accused Of Stalking McCanns Face Arrest Court Trial

Two women accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann have denied the charges and will face trial later this year.

Julia Wandel, 23, from Lubin, Poland, and Karen Spragg, 60, from Caerau, Cardiff, entered not guilty pleas at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday. Both are accused of targeting Kate and Gerry McCann and their children with unwanted contact.

Wandel is alleged to have sent messages via WhatsApp, Instagram, voicemail and post between January and February this year. She is also accused of turning up at the McCann family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, on two separate dates in 2024 – 2 May and 7 December.

Spragg is charged with stalking involving serious alarm or distress between 3 May 2024 and 21 February 2025. The court heard she too allegedly made calls, sent letters, and visited the family’s home.

Wandel was remanded in custody ahead of a bail hearing scheduled for August. Spragg was granted conditional bail.

The pair are due to stand trial on 2 October.

Madeleine McCann went missing from a holiday resort in Portugal in 2007, aged three. Her disappearance remains one of the most high-profile missing person cases in recent history.