A woman accused of stalking Madeleine McCann’s family is back in court today as her trial continues. Julia Wandelt, 24, from southwest Poland, is giving evidence at Leicester Crown Court after telling jurors she believed she could be the missing British girl.

She and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, both deny a single count of stalking between June 2022 and February 2025. The prosecution alleges that the pair made repeated contact with Madeleine’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, through emails, phone calls, and even by turning up at their home.

On Monday, Wandelt took to the witness box and claimed she had a “genuine and honestly held belief” that she was Madeleine.

She said she began questioning her identity while struggling with her mental health and self-harming.

She told the court she did not think she was her parents’ biological daughter and had requested her birth certificate several times before turning to online missing persons databases, where she first came across Madeleine’s case.

Jurors heard Wandelt contacted dozens of organisations across multiple countries, including police forces, hospitals, and charities, before reaching out directly to members of the McCann family.

She said she had messaged Gerry McCann and also contacted Madeleine’s sister, Amelie.

Wandelt denied claiming to be Madeleine for attention or financial gain. She told the jury: “I could not be able to heal from my trauma if I never fully know who I am.”

She is due to face further questions from the prosecution today.

Spragg is also on trial and denies the charge of stalking. Both women remain on bail.