The young Polish woman claiming to be Madeleine McCann, Julia Wandelt, has been arrested and charged on suspicion of stalking and harassment of Kate and Gerry McCann. Julia, 23, has long claimed that she believes she is the couple's missing daughter and regularly posts her claims on social media, despite a DNA test previously confirming that she was of Polish heritage.
According to PA Media, Julia was arrested after landing at Bristol Airport, where she was met by a Cardiff-based friend who was also arrested at the scene. She had since been charged and remanded into custody at Leicester Magistrates' Court while her unnamed friend has been released on bail.
The charges include that Julia's alleged behaviour "had a substantial adverse effect" on the family, and that she "knew or ought to have known that [her] course of conduct would cause alarm or distress". The maximum penalty for stalking offences is 12 months in custody and/or an unlimited fine.
Julia made international headlines back in 2023 after claiming to have key similarities to Madeleine and 'remembering' being taken as a young child, even appearing on the US talk show Dr. Phil to discuss her theory.
Despite a DNA test appearing to reject her theory, Julia has gone on to post about her belief and allegedly took part in a new DNA test where 'experts' claimed that there were similarities between her and Madeleine, who went missing in 2007.
© Ferdaus ShamimAccording to Julia, she sent the comparisons to forensic DNA expert Dr. Monte Miller, who replied: "They do match fairly well, more than I would expect at random, and a specific pattern emerges that looks like an almost certain family connection."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, her representative Surjit Singh Clair said: "I'm trying to find out what's happened, but it appears Julia has been arrested at Bristol Airport this evening just after she got off the plane. The police have reportedly arrested her on an allegation of stalking and harassing the McCanns."
© GettyIn now-deleted posts shared by Julia as well as a friend, it appears that they have previously called Gerry and Kate McCann on the phone and visited their home while recording audio footage of the interactions. She has also been accused of stalking Madeleine's siblings, Sean and Amelie, throughout 2024.
According to Sky News, she has been accused of causing serious alarm or distress against the couple between 2 May 2024 and 15 February 2025.
© GettyMadeleine was just three years old when she disappeared from her family's hotel room during a trip to Praia de Luz in Portugal during a holiday back in 2007. The German authorities named Christian Brueckner as their prime suspect in their investigation back in 2022, but no charges have been made.
