A woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been remanded in custody after being charged with stalking the missing girl’s family by allegedly turning up at their home and contacting them repeatedly.

Julia Wandel, also known as Julia Wandelt, was arrested at Bristol airport on Wednesday and appeared in Leicester magistrates court on Friday.

The 23-year-old is accused of stalking Kate, Gerry, Sean and Amelie McCann between 3 January 2024 and 15 February 2025. She is alleged to have been at the family home on 2 May and 7 December last year.

Madeleine went missing nearly 18 years ago, shortly before her fourth birthday, in what became one of the most high-profile missing person cases in recent British history. She was last seen by her family at their holiday apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, on 3 May 2007.

Wandel is accused of making calls and sending a letter, voicemails and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann and to have sent Amelie and Sean McCann Instagram messages between 3 January and 29 December last year.

The charges state the alleged contact “had a substantial adverse effect” on the family’s day-to-day activities “when you knew or ought to have known that your course of conduct would cause alarm or distress”.

The stalking offences all carry a maximum penalty of 12 months in custody and/or an unlimited fine.

At Leicester magistrates court, the defendant spoke to say her full name was Julia Wandel “according to court documents”, gave her date of birth and gave no indication as to her pleas.

Wandel, who is originally from Poland, was remanded into custody to appear for a plea hearing at Leicester crown court on 7 April.

A second woman, aged 60 and from Wales, who was also arrested at the airport on suspicion of stalking, had been released on bail, police said.

Surjit Singh Clair, a spokesperson for Wandel, said he was “shocked and disappointed” that she had been arrested “as are all her supporters”.

“We’re even more shocked that she’s been remanded [in custody] especially when we had places for her to stay, far away from the McCanns.”