Kate McCann, mother of Madeleine, is due to give evidence today at Leicester Crown Court in the trial of two women accused of stalking her family over claims one of them was her missing daughter.
Julia Wandelt, 24, from Poland, and Karen Spragg, 61, both deny charges of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, causing serious alarm or distress, between June 2022 and February 2025.
Prosecutors allege Wandelt bombarded the McCanns with hundreds of messages and calls, including 60 in a single day, while signing letters as “Madeleine X” and pretending to be two other missing girls.
The court heard that the pair accosted the family outside their home and even plotted to steal rubbish for DNA tests. Wandelt, who claimed to be Madeleine—disappeared in Portugal in 2007—broke down in the dock as opening statements described her as a conspiracy theorist.
The trial, which began on Monday, is expected to last two weeks, with the McCanns’ testimony central to the prosecution’s case.
