A Polish woman who claimed to be Madeleine McCann has been found guilty of harassing the missing girl's parents by turning up at their home and sending sinister letters and messages repeatedly begging for a DNA test.
Julia Wandelt, 24, put her hands to her face when jurors returned a guilty verdict for the harassment of Kate and Gerry McCann on Friday at Leicester crown court.
The jury found Wandelt not guilty of the more serious charge of stalking the couple.
Mrs Justice Cutts is set to sentence Wandelt shortly, after pointing out that she has been in custody since February and the maximum sentence for harassment is six months in prison.
A five-week trial heard Wandelt claimed to have memories, induced by hypnosis sessions, of being abducted and of living with the McCanns as a child, including feeding Madeleine's younger brother Sean and playing ring-a-ring-a-roses.
Jurors heard that Wandelt, who had an emotional outburst while Mrs McCann gave evidence against her, tried to persuade "anybody prepared to listen" that she was Madeleine, and that she had been kidnapped from Portugal and abused with other girls in Poland.
Wandelt called and messaged Mrs McCann more than 60 times in one day on April 13 last year, claiming to have a memory of the mother stroking her head and saying she would find her before the abduction.
Her co-defendant, Karen Spragg, was found not guilty of stalking and harassment.
Wandelt broke down in tears after the verdicts, and was absent from the court room as the judge began to consider a restraining order.
Prosecutor Michael Duck KC said a restraining order is aimed at tackling “plain harassment” against the McCann family, that they fear “will continue into the future”.
The court was told a deportation order had already been served against Wandelt and that it was a matter for the secretary of state whether she remained in custody.
Emotional testimonies given by the McCanns, who have been at the centre of conspiracy theories since their three-year-old disappeared, formed part of the key evidence against Wandelt.
Mr and Mrs McCann, who were once named as suspects or "arguidos" in Madeleine's disappearance by Portuguese investigators, both spoke from behind a curtain in the courtroom so they did not have to see Wandelt face-to-face.
Mrs McCann did, however, hear Wandelt's voice when she cried out from the glass-fronted dock, "why are you doing this to me?", part-way through her evidence.
The McCanns' trauma from their daughter's disappearance was compounded by the vitriol of some members of the public who subjected them to the "cruellest of taunts", prosecutors told the stalking trial.
The highly publicised search for their daughter has led to conspiracy theorists peddling rumours about the McCanns' involvement, and they have subsequently been victims of trolling.
Co-defendant Spragg, who was described by prosecutors as a "true crime tourist of sorts", told police she believed Mr and Mrs McCann arranged the abduction of their eldest daughter.
While giving evidence, an emotional Mr McCann said he and his wife still cling on to hope that Madeleine may be alive today.
When asked about the impact of Wandelt's false claim, Mr McCann responded: "It has many effects - we don't know what happened to Madeleine. There's no evidence to say she's dead. We really hope, and we know it's only a glimmer, that Madeleine is alive.
"When so many people claim to be our missing daughter, it inevitably pulls your heartstrings, but there is a wider effect that is more damaging.
"That's detrimental to any existing investigation and obviously we have always put that (the inquiry) first."
In December last year, Wandelt left a letter at the McCanns' home in Rothley, Leicestershire, in which she wrote "Dear Mum (Kate)" and signed "Lots of love, Madeleine".
Wandelt also called Mrs McCann "mummy" and said "you are my mother" in other messages.
Speaking in court, Mrs McCann said: "I think it's obvious that's the thing I want most, for Madeleine to be back and calling me mum - that was the aspect that was really distressing for me."
Madeleine's younger sister Amelie McCann, who had been sleeping in the Ocean Club resort apartment in Praia da Luz, Portugal, with her twin brother Sean when their sister disappeared, also told her side of the story.
The young woman, now aged 20 and a university student, spoke calmly about "creepy" messages she received and the distress caused to her family by Wandelt.
Miss McCann told jurors it was "upsetting" that Wandelt begged the family to believe her.
She said: "My mum really struggled with that - her saying 'I'm your daughter'."
Wandelt messaged the family claiming to have memories of playing ring-a-ring-a-roses, spoon-feeding Sean McCann, and living in their home.
Questioned on how she felt about Wandelt's messages regarding Madeleine's childhood, Miss McCann said: "It is quite disturbing that she's coming up with these supposed memories even though she's not Madeleine."
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