
Cardiff woman in court accused of stalking Madeleine McCann's family
Cardiff woman in court accused of stalking Madeleine McCann's family
Karen Spragg, 60, is alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann
Karen Spragg (left) arrives at Leicester Magistrates' Court
(Image: PA )
A Cardiff woman has denied stalking the the parents and siblings of missing Madeleine McCann.
Karen Spragg, 60, from Caerau, Cardiff, who is alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann, denied a charge of stalking the family at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Monday. She appeared alongside a Polish national who also pleaded not guilty to stalking the parents and siblings of Madeleine McCann after claiming to be the missing girl in the past.
Julia Wandel, 23, from Lubin in south-west Poland, appeared in the dock at Leicester Crown Court accused of making calls, leaving voicemails and sending a letter and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann.
Article continues below
She is also accused of turning up at their family home on two occasions last year and sending Mr and Ms McCann's other children Sean and Amelie McCann Instagram messages. You can sign up to our regular Crime and Punishment newsletter here
Karen Spragg arrives at Leicester Magistrates' Court
(Image: PA )
Article continues below
Wandel, who was arrested at Bristol Airport, was remanded back into custody while Spragg was granted conditional bail. Both will appear at the same court for trial on October 2.
Madeline McCann vanished while on holiday in Praia da Luz, Portugal, with her parents Gerry and Kate. There has been no trace of the three-year-old since 2007.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Vile LA rioters target agents at their hotels and threaten to 'burn them' as law enforcement faces death threats
In vile posts calling for violence against law enforcement, the hotels where federal agents are staying in Los Angeles have been released online, with one agitator saying 'burn them.' The exact address of where Border Patrol agents stayed in Ranch Cucamonga, California just outside LA was posted on Instagram by a self-proclaimed 'leftists'. 'ICE at Hilton, car filled goggles, tuff ties, and riot shields,' the video said, even though the cars were clearly marked Border Patrol, which is a sister agency of Immigration and Customs Enforcement or ICE. Border Patrol has been called in to help ICE as it carried out immigration arrests in Los Angeles last week. Additionally, Border Patrol has always been able to operate within 100 miles of the US-Mexico border on its own. 'Burn them,' posted Instagram users @bobbygee57_ in response to the reel showing the agent's location. 'Got a match,' asked @joseflocas. Another user urged others to damage the tax-payer funded vehicles. Some of the commentators urges violence against Border Patrol agents 'Pop the tires and use spark plugs to break their windows.' Border Patrol agents have since relocated. 'A lot of hotels are compromised,' one agent on the ground told He speculated they might have to sleep inside federal buildings to stay safe. The agency's intelligence team had been notified of the threats against its officers. A second post made unverified claims that ICE agents had been kicked out of a hotel in Pasadena. It shared the new hotel address where the they posters claimed the agents were moving to. The @Stopicenet account shared an image of a Border Patrol truck engulfed in flames. A Free Palestine group shared instructions on how to organize against the cops in LA, saying peaceful protests don't work. 'Riots downtown are great, but what can you accomplish in small numbers, wearing a mask at night, with your phone at home,' posted @solidaritysfl. 'Showing up to a sidewalk protest with protest marshals empowers counterrevolutionary entities (liberals) to drain all the energy and radicalism into Instagram photo ops and call-your-representatives nonsense. That's not going to work. It never has. There are so many other options. If you're all alone, show up to your local Food Not Bombs (in a mask) and let's talk. We are everywhere.' Federal officials have made if clear that violence against agents will not be tolerated. 'Our law enforcement officers are just doing their jobs. Violence and intimidation against federal law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,' ICE posted to X. 'Assaulting, harassing and doxing ICE officers and special agents is against the law. The Justice Department will prosecute you for these federal crimes!' Assaulting, harassing and doxing ICE officers and special agents is against the law. @thejusticedept will prosecute you for these federal crimes! — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 9, 2025 While most of the protestors in LA have been peaceful, some have turned to violence, including setting cars on fire and throwing items at police during demonstrations The Trump administration has argued that agent safety is one of the reason the president took the unprecedented step of calling in the national guard, despite opposition from both the governor and mayor of LA. While most protestor in LA have been peaceful, some have set cars on fire and hurled items at officers and their vehicles since the clashes started on Friday.

Western Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Western Telegraph
Gaza-bound aid boat with Greta Thunberg on board arrives in Israel after seizure
The boat, accompanied by Israel's navy, arrived in Ashdod in the evening, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry. It published a photo on social media of Ms Thunberg after disembarking. The 'Selfie Yacht' docked at Ashdod Port a short while ago. The passengers are currently undergoing medical examinations to ensure they are in good health. — Israel Foreign Ministry (@IsraelMFA) June 9, 2025 The 12 activists were undergoing medical checks to ensure they are in good health, the ministry said. They were expected to be held at a detention facility in Ramle before being deported, according to Adalah, a legal rights group representing them. The activists had set out to protest against Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which is among the deadliest and most destructive since the Second World War, and its restrictions on the entry of humanitarian aid. Both have put the territory of around two million Palestinians at risk of famine. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which organised the voyage, said the activists were 'kidnapped by Israeli forces' while trying to deliver desperately needed aid. 'The ship was unlawfully boarded, its unarmed civilian crew abducted and its life-saving cargo – including baby formula, food and medical supplies – confiscated,' it said in a statement. It said the ship was seized in international waters about 200 kilometres (120 miles) from Gaza, and Adalah asserted that Israel had 'no legal authority' to take it over. Israel's Foreign Ministry portrayed the voyage as a public relations stunt, saying on social media that 'the 'selfie yacht' of the 'celebrities' is safely making its way to the shores of Israel'. This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism David Mencer, Israeli government spokesperson It said the activists would return to their home countries and the aid would be sent to Gaza through established channels. It circulated footage of what appeared to be Israeli military personnel handing out sandwiches and water to the activists, who were wearing life vests. Israeli officials said the flotilla carried what amounted to less than a truckload of aid. 'This wasn't humanitarian aid. It's Instagram activism,' Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer said. 'Meanwhile, Israel has delivered over 1,200 truckloads in the last two weeks. So who's really feeding Gaza and who's really feeding their own ego? Greta was not bringing aid, she was bringing herself.' After its two-and-a-half month total blockade aimed at pressuring Hamas, Israel started allowing some basic aid into Gaza last month, but humanitarian workers and experts have warned of famine unless the blockade is lifted and Israel ends its military offensive. About 600 trucks of aid entered daily during the ceasefire that Israel ended in March. An attempt last month by Freedom Flotilla to reach Gaza by sea failed after two drones attacked the vessel in international waters off Malta, organisers said. I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible Greta Thunberg The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the ship's front section. The Madleen set sail from Sicily a week ago. Along the way, it stopped on Thursday to rescue four migrants who had jumped overboard to avoid being detained by Libya'a coast guard. 'I urge all my friends, family and comrades to put pressure on the Swedish government to release me and the others as soon as possible,' Ms Thunberg said in a pre-recorded message released after the ship was halted. Adalah, the rights group, said in a statement that 'the arrest of the unarmed activists, who operated in a civilian manner to provide humanitarian aid, amounts to a serious breach of international law'. Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent, was among those on board. She has been barred from entering Israel because of her opposition to Israeli policies towards the Palestinians. She was among six French citizens on board. What's been happening since early March is a disgrace, a disgrace French President Emmanuel Macron French President Emmanuel Macron called for consular protection and the repatriation of the French citizens. 'Most of all, France calls for a ceasefire as quickly as possible and the lifting of the humanitarian blockade. This is a scandal, unacceptable, that is playing out in Gaza. What's been happening since early March is a disgrace, a disgrace,' Mr Macron said. Next week, Mr Macron co-hosts a conference at the UN on a two-state solution and recently said France should move towards recognising a Palestinian state. Swedish foreign minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said the crew and passengers were aware of the risks, Swedish news agency TT reported. Ms Stenergard said the ministry's assessment is that no-one was in danger and there was no need for consular support. Israel and Egypt have imposed varying degrees of a blockade on Gaza since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to prevent Hamas from importing arms, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's Palestinian population. Israel sealed off Gaza from all aid in the early days of the war ignited by the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7 2023 but later relented under US pressure. Displaced Palestinians walk past the ruins of destroyed buildings along the Gaza City shoreline (Jehad Alshrafi/AP) In early March, shortly before Israel ended a ceasefire with Hamas, the country again blocked all imports, including food, fuel and medicine. Hamas-led militants killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the October 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most have been released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Hamas still holds 55 hostages, more than half believed to be dead. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but has said that women and children make up most of the dead. The war has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around 90% of the population, leaving people almost completely dependent on international aid. Efforts to broker another truce have been deadlocked for months. Hamas says it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal. Israel has vowed to continue the war until all the captives are returned and Hamas is defeated, or disarmed and exiled.


Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Brit teen jailed in Dubai over holiday fling begs for mercy
The teen has pinned his hopes of release on a pardon from Dubai's leader 'PLEASE FREE ME' 'PLEASE FREE ME' Brit teen jailed in Dubai over holiday fling begs for mercy A BRITISH teenager jailed in Dubai over a holiday fling has begged for mercy. Marcus Fakana, 19, has submitted a plea for clemency to the country's ruler. 2 Brit teen Marcus Fakana, 19, jailed in Dubai over a holiday romance, has begged the country's ruler for clemency Credit: PA 2 The Brit teen is being held at the harsh Al Awir prison Credit: AFP He was sentenced to a year in prison for having consensual sex with a 17-year-old British girl. Both Marcus and his young lover had met while on holiday with their families. Marcus, who was 18 at the time, has been held for months in the harsh Al Awir prison. He has now pinned his hopes on a pardon from Dubai's leader, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. READ MORE UK NEWS CASHING IN 9m pensioners will get Winter Fuel Payment after U-turn - will YOU get the cash? Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai, which is supporting the teen's family, said: 'This has been the most traumatic and life-altering experience imaginable for Marcus. 'He is barely an adult himself and never intended to break any law. 'What happened was legal in the UK and consensual. 'But now he is facing permanent damage to his mental health and future prospects.' Prison conditions are reportedly taking a toll on Marcus, who is said to have only limited contact with his family. His parents, from Tottenham, North London, have made repeated appeals to Foreign Secretary David Lammy MP. I jetted off on ultimate lads' weekend…only to be arrested, tortured at 'Dubai Alcatraz' & threatened with death by firing squad They have also asked the British Embassy in Dubai to help secure his release. Ms Stirling added: 'Marcus has shown remorse and fully respects the laws of the UAE. 'He only hopes the government will show compassion and allow him to return home to rebuild his life. 'We implore Sheikh Mohammed to hear his pleas.'