Portugal MADELEINE McCANN: Missing from Praia da Luz, Portugal - 3 May 2007 - Age 3 (14 Viewers)

Madeleine Beth McCann (born 12 May 2003) disappeared on the evening of 3 May 2007 from her bed in a holiday apartment at a resort in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region of Portugal. Her whereabouts remain unknown.[3] The Daily Telegraph described the disappearance as "the most heavily reported missing-person case in modern history".[4]

Madeleine was on holiday from the UK with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann; her two-year-old twin siblings; and a group of family friends and their children. She and the twins had been left asleep at 20:30 in the ground-floor apartment, while the McCanns and friends dined in a restaurant 55 metres (180 ft) away.[5] The parents checked on the children throughout the evening, until Madeleine's mother discovered she was missing at 22:00.

Disappearance of Madeleine McCann - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Scotland Yard Reveal Latest Findings in Search for Madeleine

In a world exclusive with the BBC, Scotland Yard reveals their latest findings in the search for Madeleine McCann

findmadeleine.com

MADELEINE McCANN: Missing from Praia da Luz, Portugal - 3 May 2007 - Age 3

Madeleine Beth McCann (born 12 May 2003) disappeared on the evening of 3 May 2007 from her bed in a holiday apartment at a resort in Praia da Luz, in the Algarve region of Portugal. Her whereabouts remain unknown.[3]

www.crimewatchers.net

 

[Regina]

No of course i don't think that LOL. There were checks that just listened outside windows rather than opening doors and physically seeing the children in the rooms. It was a bit haphazard.
Importantly it was Gerry who supposedly did that last physical check at 9.15 when he actually saw the kids, as I understand the excerpt that I posted. So Maddie was only seen twice - at the 9pm check and Gerry's check at 9.15. When Kate did the third check, Maddie was missing.

Gerry had looked in on the children before he and Kate left the apartment just after 8:30 and he looked in on them again just after 9. At 9:30, Kate stood up to go check but Matt stood and offered to check for Kate since he was going to check on his daughter in their apartment next door. At 10:00, Kate went to check and discovered Madeleine wasn't there.

 

[Tresir]

Gerry had looked in on the children before he and Kate left the apartment just after 8:30 and he looked in on them again just after 9. At 9:30, Kate stood up to go check but Matt stood and offered to check for Kate since he was going to check on his daughter in their apartment next door. At 10:00, Kate went to check and discovered Madeleine wasn't there.

Matt only listened at windows and didn't physically see the children so it didn't really count. That is what gives the abduction time a larger window from Jerry's check at 9 till Kate finds her gone at 10.

 

[Regina]

Matt only listened at windows and didn't physically see the children so it didn't really count. That is what gives the abduction time a larger window from Jerry's check at 9 till Kate finds her gone at 10.

It was later learned that Matt hadn't actually laid eyes on the children but I'm pretty sure he did go into the apartment.
But yes, it had been an hour since Madeleine was last seen.

 

[Tresir]

Latest on McCann stalker case.

Alleged stalker asked ChatGPT if she could be Madeleine McCann, court hears

Julia Wandelt, 24, is on trial accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann while claiming to be their missing daughter.

www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk

The alleged stalker of Madeleine McCann’s family asked ChatGPT if she could be the missing three-year-old, a court has heard.
Jurors were told that the AI chatbot suggested there was a “possibility” Polish national Julia Wandelt, 24, could be Madeleine when she used it to compare her DNA to other genetic profiles, but also told her more evidence was needed to confirm it.
Leicester Crown Court heard that Wandelt asked the software to compare her DNA to a sample taken from the floor where Madeleine disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal, which a forensic scientist previously told the court does not match Gerry McCann’s DNA profile.
In the course of the interactions, the chatbot suggested the DNA profiles were “consistent with a father-child relationship”, the court heard.

Julia Wandelt, left, and Karen Spragg listened to the evidence from the dock (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
Prosecution barrister Michael Duck KC read interactions between Wandelt and the AI chatbot to the court on Tuesday afternoon.
In one of the 76 chats stored on her phone, the court heard Wandelt asked: “Does it mean Julia Wandelt may be Madeleine McCann?”
Prosecutors allege Wandelt peddled the myth she was the missing girl, who disappeared during a family holiday in 2007, while stalking Mr McCann and his wife Kate between June 2022 and February this year.
The court heard Wandelt, of Lubin in south-west Poland, asked questions of ChatGPT as if the second DNA sample belonged to Mr McCann, but the court previously heard it does not.
The chatbot replied to Wandelt: “The genetic evidence strongly supports that Gerry McCann could be Julia Wandelt’s biological father as the data perfectly aligns to a parent-child relationship.”

Karen Spragg turned up to the McCanns’ home address with Wandelt last year, the court heard (Joe Giddens/PA)
When Wandelt asked whether she may be Madeleine, the jury heard the chatbot said: “If Gerry McCann is confirmed as Julia Wandelt’s biological father, it raises the possibility that Julia could be Madeleine McCann, but additional evidence such as a DNA test… is required to confirm this.”
The chatbot encouraged Wandelt to verify the origin of the DNA sample and its authenticity, the court heard.
Rosalyn Hammond, a DNA expert, previously told the court that test results “strongly favour the proposition Julia Wandelt is not the biological child of the person who left the floor DNA profile”.
She had also told the court: “The floor profile does not match the profile of Gerry McCann. It’s a different profile.”
Wandelt and her co-defendant, 61-year-old Karen Spragg, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking.
The trial will continue on Wednesday.

 

[Regina]

Was that person raised by wolves or what?
Seriously, why doesn't she know who family is?

 

[Tresir]

Alleged McCann stalker told police she was 'victim', trial hears

The defendants' interviews with police have been read out to Leicester Crown Court.

www.bbc.co.uk

Alleged McCann stalker told police she was 'victim'​

Image source,Julia Wandelt
Image caption,
Julia Wandelt is on trial charged with stalking Kate and Gerry McCann
ByIsaac Ashe
Leicester

• • Published
    13 minutes ago

A woman accused of stalking the family of Madeleine McCann told a police interview she was "the victim", a trial has heard.
Julia Wandelt, 24, and her co-accused Karen Spragg, 61, were both arrested in February on stalking charges after the Polish national flew into Bristol and both were taken to Leicester where they were interviewed.
A trial at Leicester Crown Court where both deny the charges heard Miss Wandelt, who has claimed to be Kate and Gerry's missing daughter since 2022, told police: "I have asked for a DNA test, and I'm the victim here.
"They don't care about Madeleine, they don't care about me, they only care about themselves. I've provided evidence and they don't care."
The jury was previously told a DNA test was taken following Miss Wandelt's arrest which "proved" she was not Madeleine McCann.

Image source,PA Media
Image caption,
Madeleine McCann's disappearance - during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007 - has never been solved
Miss Wandelt was read statements during interviews at Euston Street station in Leicester from Kate and Gerry McCann, their twins Amelie and Sean and family friends David and Fiona Payne about her contact with them, and played CCTV recordings from 7 December 2024 when she and Mrs Spragg visited the family home in Rothley, Leicestershire.
She largely gave no comment responses, but said she "didn't mean to cause them distress" and repeatedly told the interviewing officer the family's reactions to her alleged harassment left her feeling "very sad".
Miss Wandelt claimed to police her Polish parent's daughter had "drowned" and they "replaced" her with an abducted child.
She also said her interactions with the Met Police had led her to suspect police corruption.
Miss Wandelt also gave no comment responses to questions about her social media presence and having a million followers online - but did tell the officers: "I didn't do it for attention."

Image source,PA Media
Image caption,
Miss Wandelt (left) and Karen Spragg sitting in the dock at Leicester Crown Court
In police interviews, Mrs Spragg spoke about having Miss Wandelt visit, staying with her in a hotel in Birstall and visiting the McCanns' address.
She told police Miss Wandelt was "like a daughter" to her and would "talk for hours sometimes" on the phone "most days" and said: "I support Julia.
"What about my feelings, for Julia my friend. I can't see that is a crime, trying to help a friend out."
But she said to police she advised Miss Wandelt to use a "legal route" but said "she's a grown adult" and decided to go to the address.

'Not a nasty person'​

"I just took her there," she said. "I didn't see I was encouraging her, I was helping.
"I didn't intend to cause distress and I'm sorry if I did. I'm not a nasty person, I'm not a violent person."
In a later interview, Mrs Spragg told police: "I believe Julia is telling the truth and police didn't listen to her. If police had listened to Julia there wouldn't have been any stalking."
Julia Wandelt, 24, of Jana Kochanowskiego in Lubin, Poland, and Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road, Cardiff, are on trial at Leicester Crown Court accused of stalking the family of missing Madeleine McCann.
Miss Wandelt claimed to be Madeleine, whose disappearance on a family holiday to Portugal in 2007 has never been solved, and pursued the McCann family with messages, calls, and visits, including turning up at their home and demanding a DNA test.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC said Mrs Spragg struck up a relationship online and supported Miss Wandelt's claims and conspiracy theories, and alongside the Polish national confronted the McCanns directly in December 2024.
Both women deny stalking the McCanns causing serious alarm and distress between June 2022 to February 2025.
The trial continues.

 

[Regina]

My only question is just how delusional is this woman?
I'm curious to know why that other woman chose to believe her.

 

[Tresir]

My only question is just how delusional is this woman?
I'm curious to know why that other woman chose to believe her.

It says it in the article. She believes Julia is telling the truth.
I also wonder how just one visit to their home can be considered stalking.

(ETA I think I just read they visited twice.)

 

[Tresir]

She could get a maximum sentence of 6 months in jail, based on the guidelinese, if she is found guilty. But her time in custody would count. If there is no violence, it is not a particularly serious offence.

Personally, I think the McCann's could have dealt with this differently and it is a waste of police and court time.

Harassment and stalking

sentencingcouncil.org.uk

Harassment and stalking are classed as offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 and (where the offending is racially or religiously aggravated) the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. Both offences relate to behaviour that is repeated and unwanted.
Harassment is behaviour intended to cause a person alarm or distress. The behaviour must occur on more than one occasion but it does not have the be the same kind of behaviour on each occasion. Common harassment incidents include:

• texts, voicemails, letters or emails
• comments or threats
• standing outside someone’s house or driving past it

Harassment involving putting people in fear of violence is a more serious offence. It involves two or more harassment incidents that leave the victim fearing that violence will be used against them.
Stalking involves persistently following someone. It does not necessarily mean following them in person and can include watching, spying or forcing contact with the victim through any means, including through social media.
Stalking involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress is a more serious offence. It involves two or more occasions that have caused the victim to fear violence will be used against them or had a substantial adverse effect on their day-to-day activities, even where the fear is not explicitly of violence. Evidence that the stalking has caused this level of fear could include the victim:

• changing their route to work, work patterns or employment to avoid contact with the stalker
• putting additional home security measures in place
• moving home
• suffering physical or mental ill-health

For both harassment and stalking, the offence is more serious if it is racially or religiously motivated, that is carried out because of someone's racial or ethnic origin or their religion or lack of religion.

Sentencing​

Parliament sets the maximum (and sometimes minimum) penalty for any offence. When deciding the appropriate sentence, the court must follow any relevant sentencing guidelines, unless it is not in the interests of justice to do so.

What is the maximum sentence for harassment or stalking?​

If the offence is harassment or stalking:

• the maximum sentence is six months’ custody
• if racially or religiously aggravated, the maximum sentence is two years’ custody

If the offence is harassment (putting people in fear of violence) or stalking (involving fear of violence or serious alarm or distress):

• the maximum sentence is 10 years’ custody
• if racially or religiously aggravated, the maximum sentence is 14 years’ custody

 

[Tresir]

Alleged McCann stalker ‘told police she would never do anything bad to them’

Julia Wandelt, 24, is accused of claiming she is Madeleine McCann while stalking the girl’s parents and causing them distress.

www.wimbledonguardian.co.uk

​

​

Alleged McCann stalker ‘told police she would never do anything bad to them’​

Today at null
By PA News Agency
0 comments
Julia Wandelt is on trial accused of stalking the McCanns (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
The alleged stalker of the McCann family said she would “never do anything bad” to them during an interview when police told her that Madeleine is “very special” to Kate, a court heard.
Jurors were also told that Julia Wandelt, 24, told officers that her father made a comment about how they got her “from the McCanns” after “drowning” their first child.
Wandelt, from Lubin in south-west Poland, told police in the interviews that she did not intend to cause the McCanns distress and she “never wanted to get attention”, the court heard.

Julia Wandelt (left) and Karen Spragg both deny one count of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
Prosecutor Nadia Silver and Leicestershire Police Constable Tom Szyszlak, who interviewed Wandelt the day after she was arrested in February this year, read aloud the transcripts at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday.
Jurors heard the officer told Wandelt that Mrs McCann said she found a letter, left for her by the Polish national after she turned up at the house, “deeply disturbing” and “distressing” because it had been addressed: “Dear Mum (Kate)”.
He told Wandelt that Mrs McCann said: “Madeleine is very special to me, someone pretending to be her is hurtful.”
Wandelt told police: “She (Kate) could always easily prove me wrong if she is sure (that she is not the missing Madeleine)”.
Prosecutors allege Wandelt peddled the myth that she was Madeleine, who disappeared aged three during a family holiday in Portugal in 2007, while stalking Mrs McCann and her husband Gerry between June 2022 and February this year.
Wandelt told officers she believes her Polish parents “possibly” had another child based on a comment her father made.
Asked about this comment in the interview, Wandelt told police: “He said ‘I hope you don’t think we drowned our first child and brought you from the McCanns’.”
She answered “no comment” to questions about her visit to the McCanns’ home on December 7 last year, whether she was asked to leave and if she posted a recording of the interaction on social media.

Karen Spragg turned up to the McCanns’ house last year, the court heard (Joe Giddens/PA)
During the interview, the court heard Wandelt said: “Why can’t they do the DNA test with me, why, why not, why not, despite all the evidence I have gathered?”
She told the officer: “I’m only asking for a fricking DNA test and that’s all. I’m a victim here because they refuse a DNA test despite looking for their long-missing daughter. They only care about themselves.”
She added: “I would never do anything bad to them, nothing, never hurt them in any way.”
Asked about the recording of a call between her and Detective Constable Mark Draycott from Operation Grange, the ongoing investigation into Madeleine’s disappearance, which was used in a crime YouTube podcast, Wandelt said “it was never about the attention”.
The officer asked why she published it, and Wandelt replied: “To help get this DNA test.”
Wandelt answered “no comment” when asked about how her “at least a million followers” across different platforms made her feel, adding: “How can I give any comment if you are not here to help me.”
The officer told Wandelt in the interview: “You are not the first person to say they are Madeleine McCann.”
The court heard that Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau Court Road in Caerau, Cardiff, who also denies stalking the McCanns, alleged during her interviews with police that Mr and Mrs McCann had “arranged the kidnapping”.

Julia Wandelt appeared in court via video link on Thursday because of illness, jurors heard (Elizabeth Cook/PA)
She told officers: “We get arrested for turning up at their house once or twice two days in a row… and they leave their children alone and everyone’s asking why weren’t they punished?”
She added: “They know what they have done. They arranged the kidnapping and the abduction.”
Jurors heard Spragg also said: “Her (Wandelt’s) parents are not her Polish parents. Her Polish parents are doctors, her father is. There’s a connection.”
Speaking about her support for Wandelt, Spragg told officers: “You say about the McCanns being distressed but what about Julia’s feelings?
“She’s got all the evidence. The police won’t do anything. I would rather trust Julia who is providing evidence – that’s my opinion.
“I’m a mother and she’s like a daughter to me. I’m a mother and a grandmother so that’s my motherly instincts kicking in. I don’t see that as a crime either.”
Questioned about why she went with Wandelt to the McCanns’ house in December, Spragg told police: “I thought we were just going to go there, she (Kate) was going to listen as a mother looking for her child… but it didn’t happen.”
The trial continues.
0 comments

 

[GrandmaBear]

It says it in the article. She believes Julia is telling the truth.
I also wonder how just one visit to their home can be considered stalking.

They were stalked incessantly online and by phone. It doesn't require a physical presence to be considered stalking.

Also above Spragg herself called it stalkling. She said had LE listened to her, they wouldn't have had to stalk the McCanns.

 

[GrandmaBear]

The two cannot assume to know they caused the McCanns no harm, damage or hurt. Since when do stalkers realize or even think about how their victims feel? They don't.

 

[Tresir]

The two cannot assume to know they caused the McCanns no harm, damage or hurt. Since when do stalkers realize or even think about how their victims feel? They don't.

This is the criteria. Pretty specific. They only visited the home once, I believe. It wasnt racially or religiously motivated.


Harassment is behaviour intended to cause a person alarm or distress. The behaviour must occur on more than one occasion but it does not have the be the same kind of behaviour on each occasion. Common harassment incidents include:

• texts, voicemails, letters or emails
• comments or threats
• standing outside someone’s house or driving past it

Harassment involving putting people in fear of violence is a more serious offence. It involves two or more harassment incidents that leave the victim fearing that violence will be used against them.
Stalking involves persistently following someone. It does not necessarily mean following them in person and can include watching, spying or forcing contact with the victim through any means, including through social media.

 

[Tresir]

It's difficult to find reporting of this trial. I mean the Wimbledon Guardian/Times !!!!

Maybe the big names are steering clear of it.

 

[GrandmaBear]

This is the criteria. Pretty specific. They only visited the home once, I believe. It wasnt racially or religiously motivated.


Harassment is behaviour intended to cause a person alarm or distress. The behaviour must occur on more than one occasion but it does not have the be the same kind of behaviour on each occasion. Common harassment incidents include:

• texts, voicemails, letters or emails
• comments or threats
• standing outside someone’s house or driving past it

Harassment involving putting people in fear of violence is a more serious offence. It involves two or more harassment incidents that leave the victim fearing that violence will be used against them.
Stalking involves persistently following someone. It does not necessarily mean following them in person and can include watching, spying or forcing contact with the victim through any means, including through social media.

Pretty clear case of stalking and harassment to me. Not necessarily fear of violence where that standard of harassment is concerned but then who is to say? I'd fear violence by a whacko harassing my family to no end. Also, are there other degrees with harassment?

You don't bother people repeatedly that want no contact with you. They are in the wrong. You pursue a legal avenue if you have one/any rights or you leave them alone. You do not stalk.

 

[Tresir]

Pretty clear case of stalking and harassment to me. Not necessarily fear of violence where that standard of harassment is concerned but then who is to say? I'd fear violence by a whacko harassing my family to no end. Also, are there other degrees with harassment?

You don't bother people repeatedly that want no contact with you. They are in the wrong. You pursue a legal avenue if you have one/any rights or you leave them alone. You do not stalk.

I posted everything it says. It only goes to the next level if it is on religious or racial grounds. And it's only harassment if it puts the victim in fear of their life.

She was arrested in February at the airport, so has already been in jail 8 months, unless her friend Spragg bailed her out.

 

[Tresir]

https://www.news.com.au/world/europe/prime-suspect-in-madeleine-mccann-case-now-living-on-the-streets/news-story/55a52f7a8462f2f24012a80a30ba24c7

Prime suspect in Madeleine McCann case now living on the streets​

The man German prosecutors named as their top suspect in the Madeleine McCann case is now living on the streets under police guard after being released from prison.
less than 2 min read
October 23, 2025 - 9:22PM


The prime suspect in the disappearance of British toddler Madeleine McCann is living on the streets in Germany after being released from prison last month, local media reported on Thursday.
Christian Brueckner, who was revealed as a suspect in the case of the missing toddler in 2020 but never charged, was released from prison in Germany on September 17 after serving a sentence on separate rape charges.
Brueckner is now sleeping in a tent
in a park in the northern city of Kiel, according to Der Spiegel magazine, with two police officers constantly protecting him from “possible attacks by the public”.
After his release from jail, Brueckner was taken to a halfway house in Neumuenster, just south of Kiel, the magazine said.

Christian Brueckner, the prime suspect in the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, seen in court for a separate trial in Braunschweig, northern Germany. Picture: Moritz Frankenberg / POOL / AFP
But when local residents found out he was living there, they “verbally abused and threatened him”, forcing him to leave nine days later escorted by police.
Brueckner then travelled to Braunschweig, where he tried to confront the prosecutors who accused him of abducting Maddie, but was turned away, the report said.

He then moved on to Kiel, where his lawyers are based, staying in a series of cheap hotels only to be thrown out when people recognised him.

Three-year-old Madeleine vanished from her family’s holiday apartment in Portugal’s Praia da Luz in May 2007 while her parents dined at a nearby tapas bar.

Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal on May 3, 2007. Picture: METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP

Police did not have enough evidence on Brueckner to secure a conviction but he was named as their top suspect. Picture: METROPOLITAN POLICE / AFP
Despite a huge international manhunt and global media attention, no trace of her has been found and no one has been charged over her disappearance.
In a bombshell announcement in 2020, German prosecutors named Brueckner, who is known to have lived in the area on and off at the time, as their top suspect.

​

More Coverage​

Eerie pics of Madeleine McCann suspect

German suspect in Madeleine McCann case freed from prison​

They have said they have “concrete evidence” - but not enough to secure a conviction, and have therefore refrained from charging him over Maddie’s killing.
Brueckner has a string of previous convictions for crimes including theft, drug trafficking, assault, child pornography, child abuse and rape.
- With AFP
Read related topics:Madeleine Mccan

 

[Tresir]

I have just looked at the Wiki page and it is pretty interesting.

Disappearance of Madeleine McCann - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

These three sections are particularly relevant. Bruckner appears to be the main suspect.

First Portuguese inquiry (2007–2008)​

Madeleine's Fund inquiry (2007–2011)​

Further police inquiries (2011–present)​

 

[Tresir]

Another trial report.

Madeleine McCann stalking trial defendant attacks Gerry and Kate's parenting

Karen Spragg is accused of stalking along with Polish-born 24-year-old Julia Wandelt. Spragg told police Gerry McCann was nasty to them when they visited the McCann family home

www.mirror.co.uk

 

[Tresir]

From today.

Alleged Madeleine McCann family stalker had 'genuine belief' she was missing girl

Julia Wandelt, 24, says she was abused by her step-grandfather she was later told had been involved in a kidnapping.

news.sky.com

Wandelt told jurors, "she made me reflect on my life more and think about everything that happened. I realised I only remember abuse. My friends, they could remember things".
She continued: "I started with asking questions because I just could not believe there was nothing else in the story of what happened to me.
"I started asking my parents about everything. What are your blood groups? Is there anything else happened to me you don't tell me about?"
Asked if she still questions her identity, she replied: "Yes, I do."

Image:Madeleine McCann went missing during a family holiday to Portugal in 2007. Pic: PA
'I didn't expect them to refuse'
She claims her parents, who she alleges refused a DNA test, had a different appearance from her, with dark hair and eyes.
Wandelt said: "It made me feel a bit surprised because I didn't expect them to refuse, especially because at that time I still dealt with a lot of emotional problems."
Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, 61, of Caerau, Cardiff, both deny one count of stalking between June 2022 and February this year.
The trial continues.