A CARDIFF woman has been cleared of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann, while her co-defendant has been found guilty of a lesser harassment charge following a trial at Leicester Crown Court.
Karen Spragg, 61, from Caerau in Cardiff, was found not guilty of stalking causing serious alarm or distress to the parents of missing child Madeleine McCann.
Her co-accused, Julia Wandelt, 24, from Poland, was also acquitted of the stalking charge but was found guilty of harassment after a jury concluded that her actions amounted to a lesser offence under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.
The court heard that between June 2022 and February 2025, both women engaged in repeated contact with the McCanns, including online messages and attempts to approach the family.
During the trial, Kate McCann described feeling “frightened and distressed” after one of the women appeared at the McCanns’ home calling her “Mum” and requesting a DNA test.
Prosecutors alleged that the conduct formed part of a campaign targeting the family, who have endured years of speculation since Madeleine’s disappearance in Portugal in 2007.
Following deliberations, jurors cleared both women of the most serious charge, finding that the evidence did not meet the threshold for stalking causing serious alarm or distress. Wandelt’s conduct, however, was deemed to constitute harassment.
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