A Polish woman who spent several years claiming to be missing British child Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harᴀssment against the McCann family.

Julia Wandelt, 24, from Lubin, Poland, was convicted on 7 November 2025 at Leicester Crown Court. While jurors unanimously acquitted her of the more serious charge of stalking, they concluded that her repeated and unwanted attempts to contact members of the McCann family amounted to harᴀssment.

Between June 2022 and February 2025, Wandelt repeatedly sought contact with Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, and other family members. Court proceedings heard that she sent emails and voicemails, appeared at the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire, and contacted Madeleine’s younger siblings, Sean and Amelie, through social media. She also attended a public vigil held in Madeleine’s memory.

Wandelt first attracted international attention in 2022 when she publicly claimed that she might be Madeleine McCann. The claims gained widespread publicity in early 2023 after she shared side-by-side childhood pH๏τographs on social media, suggesting similarities between herself and the missing girl. The story quickly spread worldwide and led to an appearance on the American television program Dr. Phil in March 2023, where she repeated her ᴀssertions.

During the trial, prosecutors presented DNA evidence confirming that Wandelt was not Madeleine McCann and had no biological connection to the McCann family. Despite the scientific findings, Wandelt maintained that she had memories she believed linked her to the family, including recollections of childhood experiences and other personal claims.

The court also heard that, at different times, Wandelt had claimed to be other missing children, including Inga Gehricke, who disappeared in Germany in 2015, and Acacia Bishop, who was abducted in the United States in 2003.

Individuals involved in missing-person investigations expressed concern about her actions. Iwona Modliborska, founder of the charity “Missing Years Ago,” testified that Wandelt had previously contacted the organization claiming to be one of the missing children featured in its work. After reviewing available information, Modliborska rejected the claim and encouraged her to stop pursuing it.

In May 2024, Wandelt traveled to the United Kingdom to attend the annual vigil for Madeleine in Rothley. Although Kate and Gerry McCann were not present, she reportedly approached local representatives and attempted to provide materials she claimed supported her idenтιтy ᴀssertions. Investigators later informed her that the evidence conclusively showed she was not Madeleine and warned her about the consequences of continued contact with the family.

Following more than seven hours of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict. The presiding judge noted that the maximum sentence for harᴀssment was six months in prison. However, because Wandelt had already spent longer than that in custody following her arrest in February 2025, she had effectively served the maximum custodial period available for the offense.

As of June 2026, this legal case has reached its conclusion. Nevertheless, the disappearance of Madeleine McCann remains one of the most widely known missing-person cases in modern history. Madeleine vanished from a holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, in May 2007, and despite years of investigation, her whereabouts remain unknown.