Father of Madeleine McCann Breaks Down as He Tells Court Stalker Who Claimed to Be Missing U.K. Toddler Sent Messages to His Youngest Child
Gerry McCann lashed out at his stalker, Julia Wandelt.
Oct. 9 2025, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
Madeleine McCann's grieving father broke down in tears as he told a court about how much damage the stalker claiming to be his missing daughter has done to his family's life, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Gerry McCann claimed during Julia Wandelt's streak of terror, she allegedly sent messages to his youngest child, Amelie, trying to convince her she was her sister.
What Did Gerry McCann Say In court?
Gerry McCann broke down in tears as he spoke about the damage the family's stalker has caused.
"I was appalled. We had done our best to try to protect (my son) Sean and Amelie," Gerry told the court through tears. "Given what has happened to Madeleine, we try to keep them out of the media as much as possible. We know they want to be identified as Sean and Amelie McCann, and not missing Madeleine's brother and sister."
Gerry continued: "As a parent, you want to try to protect your children. We know social media can be damaging and there is nasty stuff online about us, so obviously we want to protect them from that.”
Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, 61, are accused of stalking and causing serious distress Gerry and Madeleine's mother, Kate, from June 2022 to February 2025.
Kate McCann's Scary Encounter With Stalker
Gerry and his wife, Kate, are the parents of missing toddler Madeleine McCann.
Earlier on, Kate told the court about how she had to force her way into her home as Wandelt allegedly fought to stop her from shutting the front door after she waited outside with Spragg last December.
"I had a momentary kind of ‘who is it?’ because there were two women, and finally I realized it was Julia," Kate recalled of the terrifying incident. "I had seen a photo of her in the past, plus I guess she was quite vivid in my mind because of all the communications that had gone on before.
"She was saying the usual stuff, ‘I’m your daughter’. She called me mum. She was asking for a DNA test, pleading with me. I got a fright anyway, and when I realized who it was, I was quite distressed."
Kate continued: "... I asked them to leave. I told them I was in distress, and they could not be on our property, and asked them to leave. They followed me. I was trying to close the door, and Julia was kind of putting her hands out to try to stop me from closing the door.
Julia Wandelt Goes Off In Court
Julia Wandelt claims she's the parents' missing daughter, despite a court saying otherwise.
"I then closed the door and locked it. They kept banging on the door."
Wandelt, who was listening to Kate's recollection of the alleged event, lashed out in court and shouted, "Why are you doing this to me?" as she was led out of the courtroom.
Earlier this week, the 24-year-old also sobbed after it was confirmed she has no familial link to the McCanns. Jurors heard there was "unequivocal scientific evidence" that Wandelt is not related to the McCanns, despite her claiming to have memories of Madeleine's childhood and disappearance.
Prosecutor Michael Duck said at the time: "Can we at this very early stage in the trial make this position clear – that Julia Wandelt is not Madeleine McCann."
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Wandelt is said to have reached out to Madeleine's sister to 'persuade' her they're 'somehow related.'
Duck later added Wandelt obtained Kate's number in April 2024 and "continued to pursue her false agenda with Madeleine's parents," and sent photos to Madeleine’s younger sibling to "persuade" her that they "were somehow related."
He said: "There could never have been a legitimate belief by Julia Wandelt that she was Madeleine McCann. At the time of Madeleine McCann’s disappearance, Julia Wandelt was not of the same age. She obtained numerous images of Madeleine McCann, but also other images of the McCann family, and sought to compare them to images of herself."
The toddler disappeared from a Portuguese hotel in 2007. She has not been seen since. Christian Brueckner, who was recently released from prison on a separate charge, is considered the prime suspect.
