One individual who was in the company of the parents of missing Madeleine McCann on the night she disappeared testified in court about receiving unsettling messages from a woman accused of harassing the family. David and Fiona Payne, who were on vacation in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007, provided testimony against Julia Wandelt, 24, and Karen Spragg, 61, from Caerau in Cardiff, who are accused of stalking the McCann family. The Paynes, known as the McCanns’ ‘Tapas’ friends, recounted various contacts over the years but never from anyone claiming to be Madeleine.
During the trial at Leicester Crown Court, Fiona Payne mentioned being contacted by Wandelt through Facebook Messenger, discovering the messages only recently in her spam folder. The messages, including photos of DNA reports, were from someone named ‘Julia Julia’ who expressed a belief that Madeleine was still alive and requested DNA comparisons with her parents. Mrs. Payne disclosed that her daughter also received similar messages from Wandelt, but she wisely chose to ignore them due to being emotionally impacted by Madeleine’s disappearance.
Describing the experience as disturbing, Mrs. Payne expressed her anger at Wandelt for attempting to manipulate her daughter. The court also heard phone calls made by Wandelt to Mr. Payne, where she requested to speak with Kate and Gerry McCann, claiming to believe she was Madeleine and seeking confirmation. Wandelt faces charges of stalking the McCanns and their children, as well as attending their family home in Leicestershire. Spragg is similarly charged with stalking, with the alleged incidents occurring between June 2022 and February 2025. The trial is ongoing.
