A woman, Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, was found not guilty of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann after a trial at Leicester Crown Court. She was seen smiling after the verdict, while her co-accused, Julia Wandelt, a 24-year-old Polish woman, was sent to prison. The two had held hands in court before the decision was announced following over seven hours of jury deliberation.
Spragg was described during the trial as a “true crime tourist” who believed in conspiracy theories about the McCanns’ involvement in their daughter Madeleine’s disappearance. She had supported Wandelt’s claims and had directly confronted the McCann parents in 2024. Despite being acquitted, both Spragg and Wandelt were issued restraining orders preventing them from contacting the McCanns or visiting Leicestershire.
Wandelt, who had harassed the McCann family, was sentenced to six months in jail but had already served the time since February. The McCanns, in a statement through Leicester Police, expressed their desire to end the harassment and emphasized that the decision to prosecute was made by the Crown Prosecution Service based on police evidence. They urged anyone with new information about Madeleine’s disappearance to contact the authorities.
