Julia W., 24, was sentenced to six months in prison – the maximum penalty for harassment – but was released immediately as the time she had already spent in custody since February was taken into account.
She is expected to be deported from the UK.
W. had been accused of stalking Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February 2025, contacting them through emails, phone calls and visits to their home.
She also gave media interviews, including to US television networks, asserting that she might be the missing child.
DNA tests conducted after her arrest confirmed there was no biological link between her and the McCanns, with prosecutors describing the evidence as "unequivocal."
During the trial at Leicester Crown Court, Kate McCann told jurors that W.’s behaviour left her feeling "invaded and distressed" after the woman approached her home in December 2024 and later sent a letter addressed to "mum."
W. appeared tearful during parts of the testimony and told the court she never intended to cause harm, saying she simply wanted to find out whether she could be their missing daughter.
In sentencing, Judge Johannah Cutts acknowledged that W. had experienced a difficult childhood marked by abuse, but said that did not excuse her actions.
Madeleine McCann disappeared in May 2007 while on holiday with her family in Portugal’s Algarve region, days before her fourth birthday.
The main suspect in her disappearance, a German national, was released from prison in September after serving a seven-year sentence for an unrelated offence.
(ał)
Source: PAP, Reuters