UPDATE: |Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann pleads not guilty to stalking missing girl’s family News

She denied the charges in court on Tuesday

A woman who has been accused of stalking the parents and siblings of Madeleine McCann has pleaded not guilty at Leicester Crown Court.

Julia Wandel, a 23-year-old Polish national, denies causing serious alarm or distress to members of the McCann family between June 2022 and February 2025.

A court previously heard how Wandel made calls, left voicemails, and sent a letter and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann.

She is also accused of sending Sean and Amelie McCann – Madeleine’s brother and sister – Instagram messages.

Wandel had previously claimed to be the missing girl on Instagram in 2023, but a DNA test said she was Polish.

She spoke in court to confirm her name was Julia Wandel “according to documents” and to enter her plea during the hearing.

The defendant, who is also known as Julia Wandelt, is alleged to have attended the family home in Leicestershire on May 2 and December 7 last year according to a previous court appearance, and she was arrested at Bristol Airport in February.

She was remanded back into custody by Judge Timothy Spencer KC to appear in court in August to decide if she will be granted bail.

Another woman, Karen Spragg, of Caerau in Cardiff, is also alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of the McCann family.

She appeared alongside Wandel in the dock and also denied the charge of stalking.

The 60-year-old will appear with Wandel at the same court for trial on October 2.

The disappearance of Madeleine McCann has become one of the world’s most mysterious missing child cases.

The then three-year-old was last seen in Portugal’s Algarve in May, 2007, while on holiday with her family.

Her parents had left her in bed with her twin siblings while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant in the popular holiday resort of Praia da Luz.