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A woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has pleaded not guilty to stalking the missing girl’s parents.

Julia Wandel, 23, is accused of making calls, leaving voicemails, and sending a letter and WhatsApp messages to Kate and Gerry McCann.

Wandel, from southwest Poland, is also accused of turning up at their family home on two occasions last year and sending Instagram messages to Sean and Amelie McCann, Madeleine’s brother and sister.

It is alleged she caused serious alarm or distress to the family between June 2022 and February this year when she was arrested at Bristol Airport.

She claimed to be Madeleine on Instagram in 2023, but a DNA test showed she was Polish.

Karen Spragg, 60, who is alleged to have made calls, sent letters and attended the home address of Mr and Mrs McCann, also denied a charge of stalking at Leicester Magistrates’ Court.

Wandel was remanded back into custody while Spragg, from Caerau in Cardiff, was granted conditional bail.

Both women are due to appear at Leicester Crown Court for trial on 2 October.

Karen Spragg arriving at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday. Pic: PA
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Karen Spragg arriving at Leicester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday. Pic: PA

Madeleine’s disappearance has become one of the world’s most mysterious missing child cases.

She was last seen in Portugal’s Algarve in 2007 while on holiday with her family.

Her parents had left her in bed with her twin siblings while they had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant in Praia da Luz when the then three-year-old disappeared on 3 May.

A man suspected of kidnapping Madeleine will not face any charges in the foreseeable future, a prosecutor told Sky News earlier this year.

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Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

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Woman arrested on suspicion of murder after death of two children in Stafford

A 43-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of murder after the death of two children in Stafford.

Police were called to a home on Corporation Street at around 7.30am on Sunday by West Midlands Ambulance Service.

Two children were pronounced dead at the scene, Staffordshire Police said.

Detective Inspector Kirsty Oldfield said: “We are working hard to understand more about what happened leading up to these two children tragically losing their lives.

“We ask that people do not speculate at this stage as it is distressing for family and friends and could hinder our inquiries.

“We understand that this incident may cause concern in the local community. We don’t believe there is wider threat to the public at this time.”

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The 43-year-old woman, who is from the Stafford area, remains in custody.

The force has not confirmed the ages of the two children. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.

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Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

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Man charged with stalking after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family

A man has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife after allegedly targeting Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey and his family.

Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton, south London, was arrested last Monday, but it was only made public on Sunday.

He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday and was remanded in custody, the Met Police said.

The offences are alleged to have taken place between June and October.

Sir Ed, the MP for Kingston and Surbiton, lives in southwest London with his wife, Emily, their 17-year-old son John, and his younger sister Ellie.

A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “Inigo Rowland, 58, of Surbiton has been charged with stalking and possession of a flick knife.

“He appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, 7 October and was remanded into custody. He will next appear at the same court on Tuesday, 14 October.

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“He was arrested on Monday, 6 October in relation to the offences, which are alleged to have taken place between June and October.”

A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “We cannot provide any details at this time, Ed’s number one priority is the safety of his family.”

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Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

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Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins dies after attack in prison

Paedophile Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins has died after being attacked in prison.

Watkins, 48, was serving a 29-year jail term for multiple sexual offences, including serious crimes against young children and babies at HMP Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

He was attacked with a knife by another inmate on Saturday morning, sources have confirmed.

West Yorkshire Police said two men, aged 25 and 43, have been arrested on suspicion of murder.

A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp
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A police van outside Wakefield prison. Pic: YappApp

Watkins was pronounced dead at the scene after prison staff reported the assault to police.

The prison went into lockdown in the immediate aftermath of the incident, sources added.

A Prison Service spokesperson said they could not comment while the police investigate.

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Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023, suffering non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.

He was sentenced in December 2013 to 29 years in prison, with a further six years on licence, after admitting 13 sex offences, including the attempted rape of a fan’s baby.

Watkins performing in 2004. Pic: PA
Image:
Watkins performing in 2004. Pic: PA

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He also encouraged a second fan to abuse her child during a webcam chat and secretly stashed child sexual abuse videos, some of which he had made himself.

At the time, police described him as a “committed, organised paedophile”.

Having found fame in Welsh rock band Lostprophets, Watkins was arrested after his Pontypridd home was searched on orders of a drug warrant in September 2012.

A large number of computers, mobile phones and storage devices were seized during the search.

When sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court, the singer was told he was being given an extended sentence – and a judge said his crimes “plumbed new depths of depravity”.

After being caught with a mobile phone behind bars in 2019, he told a court that he was locked up with “murderers, mass murderers, rapists, paedophiles, serial killers – the worst of the worst”.

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