23-Year-Old Julia Wandel Faces Charges Following Arrest at Bristol Airport
A 23-year-old Polish woman, Julia Wandel, who claimed to be Madeleine McCann, has been charged with stalking following her arrest at Bristol Airport. Wandel, also known as Julia Wandelt, was detained as she arrived in the UK on Wednesday. She is facing four stalking-related charges, which, according to Leicestershire Police, involve incidents tied to Madeleine McCann’s parents, Kate and Gerry McCann.
The police reported that the charges span several months, with two counts relating to offences between 2 May 2024 and 15 February 2025. A third charge is linked to events between 3 January 2024 and 21 April 2024, and the fourth relates to offences that occurred between 27 November 2024 and 29 December 2024. Wandel, from Lubin, Poland, is set to appear in court at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Friday while in custody.
Wandel had flown in from Wroclaw and was about to meet a 60-year-old friend from Cardiff when she was arrested in front of other passengers at approximately 8 pm. Her friend was also arrested on suspicion of stalking but was later released on bail. Both arrests were carried out by Avon and Somerset Police on behalf of Leicestershire Police, where the McCanns reside.
Madeleine McCann, who was three years old at the time, went missing from her family’s holiday apartment in Praia de Luz, Portugal, on 3 May 2007.