Portugal MADELEINE McCANN: Missing from Praia da Luz, Portugal - 3 May 2007 - Age 3 (1 Viewer)

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

 

[GrandmaBear]

I have put my response over there so you can delete your posts now. Then i will delete this one too.

Perfect, thanks. I will go ahead and delete those right now.

 

[GrandmaBear]

They only stopped due to court action imo or they'd still be at it.

 

[Tresir]

I'm hoping the verdict will be in today. In the meantime here is another Maddie contender.

 

[Tresir]

I heard the verdict on my car radio while out and about just now.

Wandelt guilty of harassment, not guilty of stalking. Judge grants a restraining order to prevent her harassing the McCanns in future. She receives a 6 month prison sentence but has already served more than that so should be released.
Spragg not guilty of both. But receives a 5 year restraining order.

I think that is a fair result. Juries usually get things right.

Found a BBC link - see below.

Woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann found guilty of harassing family

Julia Wandelt is cleared of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann. The trial heard there was "no scientific evidence" she was the missing child.

www.bbc.co.uk

Summary​

• Julia Wandelt, who repeatedly claimed to be the missing British girl Madeline McCann, has been found guilty of harassing the McCann family
• She and Karen Spragg, who were on trial together at Leicester Crown Court, were found not guilty of stalking
• Sentencing Wandelt to six months in prison, a judge says the 24-year-old from Lubin, south-west Poland, has already served that time while in custody
• During the trial, Wandelt burst into tears when lawyers told her there was "no scientific evidence" linking her to the McCanns
• The family has had restraining orders against Wandelt and Spragg granted, with the judge saying Wandelt posed a "significant risk" of causing harassment to the McCanns again
• Spragg, from Cardiff, opted not to give evidence as part of her defence
• The 61-year-old - who had come to court with a packed bag, in case she was sent to prison - sobbed as she heard the verdict, our reporter there writes

 

[Guess Who]

I bet this is still not the last the McCann's hear from them. They have already proven that they don't seem to know how boundaries work.

 

[Tresir]

I bet this is still not the last the McCann's hear from them. They have already proven that they don't seem to know how boundaries work.

Well, if they disobey the restraining order, they will go to jail. There was some talk about deporting Julia but I haven't heard that they are doing that. Karen was found not guilty but still got a restraining order, I guess because she drove Julia. Today she turned up with a packed suitcase ready for jail and burst into tears when found NG. Apparently Julia was wailing in the room behind the dock before the verdict. I think the restraining orders will work for them both. If it doesn't stop the harassment they will go to court and likely be jailed.

 

[Tresir]

So the previous post sums the facts up well.

Julia went to the vigil, which was a public event so that cannot be stalking. Karen had not even contacted Julia at that point.

In Dec '24, the two met and visited the McCann's house. After half an hour the McCanns left to attend a function.

In February '25, when Julia returned to the UK, she was arrested and imprisoned. So there were no further incidents.

This doesn't seem to amount to stalking IMO but as she has already been in prison for 10 months, I think whatever the verdict, she will be released.
I think Karen may be found not guilty.

I therefore don't think there will be any jail time.

Waste of the court's time IMO.

Seems like my post here (from two days ago) was pretty much what happened.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I assume if they violate the restraining order, they will be arrested and have little defense for doing so. Hopefully that stops it but I wouldn't count on it.

If I were Spragg, I would cut ties with Wandelt permanently, but who knows, maybe she's just as bad.

Not sure about Spragg, but Wandelt will unlikely not always be bothering someone and seeking attention imo. I think she deserved more time and honestly I think Wandelt deserved a guilty verdict too but the jury probably saw her more as someone helping a friend.

Imo both women need to get a life. They have way too much time on their hands for such childish fantasies, games and bothering others. Alternatively, they are both severely disturbed.

 

[Tresir]

I assume if they violate the restraining order, they will be arrested and have little defense for doing so. Hopefully that stops it but I wouldn't count on it.

If I were Spragg, I would cut ties with Wandelt permanently, but who knows, maybe she's just as bad.

Not sure about Spragg, but Wandelt will unlikely not always be bothering someone and seeking attention imo. I think she deserved more time and honestly I think Wandelt deserved a guilty verdict too but the jury probably saw her more as someone helping a friend.

Imo both women need to get a life. They have way too much time on their hands for such childish fantasies, games and bothering others. Alternatively, they are both severely disturbed.

I don't think Wandelt drives so relied on Spragg for that reason. Wandelt has been on this path since 2022 whereas Spragg has been involved since 2024, from what I can make out from all I have read. I don't know what they will do from now on but they will have to follow the court instructions or they would be arrested. There was also mention of deportation for Wandelt, so will wait for the court order to be published.

 

[SheWhoMustNotBeNamed]

I wonder who she'll pretend to be next.

 

[RoundPeg]

I wonder who she'll pretend to be next.

Elvis.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I don't think Wandelt drives so relied on Spragg for that reason. Wandelt has been on this path since 2022 whereas Spragg has been involved since 2024, from what I can make out from all I have read. I don't know what they will do from now on but they will have to follow the court instructions or they would be arrested. There was also mention of deportation for Wandelt, so will wait for the court order to be published.

Yeah, I saw that about deportation. So they can still decide to do that? It's not already decided?

 

[Tresir]

Yeah, I saw that about deportation. So they can still decide to do that? It's not already decided?

I think any deportation decision has to be made by the Home Office but not sure.

Since we have now left the EU, I guess she could be deported but it depends what agreements are in place now, if any.

 

[GrandmaBear]

I think any deportation decision has to be made by the Home Office but not sure.

Since we have now left the EU, I guess she could be deported but it depends what agreements are in place now, if any.

Okay, so we wait to hear whether deportation will be the case then.

On another note, the mom (Ashlee) has been arrested in the Buzzard case.

 

[Tresir]

Elvis.

Lol. Luckily, it's not against the law to impersonate Elvis.

And its not against the law to impersonate Madeleine either, as a lot have done it and are still doing it.

 

[Regina]

That trial was way too long.

 

[Tresir]

Doesn't look like she will be released yet.

Julia Wandelt told her father ‘you are not my dad’ the last time she saw him

Julia Wandelt faces deportation after being found guilty of harassment on Friday.

www.cumnockchronicle.com

Prosecution counsel Michael Duck KC said a restraining order was sought against Wandelt because there had been “plain harassment” against the McCann family.

Sentencing Wandelt, as she eventually made her way back into the dock, Mrs Justice Cutts said it was not for her to decide whether she would be released.
She said: “It’s not for me to say that you could be released at this point, notwithstanding that you have served your sentence.
“A notice of deportation has been served on you and it’s a matter for the secretary of state as to how things proceed.”

 

[Guess Who]

That trial was way too long.

It shouldn't have ever had to happen. I'm not confident this will deter them at all.

 

[Tresir]

This is interesting. It is a timeline of the disappearance of Maddie. Some of the times don't seem to agree with the checking timeline excerpts I posted up thread. I was going to copy it in but it is a very large file.

P.J. POLICE FILES: TIMELINE INFORMATION