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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their encounters with an accused harasser were extremely disturbing and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling stressed and scared by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Communication Detailed as Scary

Testifying remotely, she stated how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, contacted her repeatedly through online platforms and written correspondence. Amelie explained the relentlessness was very scary since it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she recounted recollections of being in the family home that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. Amelie testified, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these alleged recollections, despite the fact she isn't Maddie.

Fabricated Images Increased Unease

Jurors heard that the accused had created images of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the prosecution said were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through online channels, while others were printed and included in a letter to Amelie.

Amelie said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. It was evident she edited the images to make me appear similar to her, which was very distressing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Toll on the Household

Amelie also spoke about the effect of the alleged stalking on her parent, their mother, who gave evidence about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mum found it the hardest. She was targeted by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly had a negative effect on her and her mental health, she testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your emotions, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Statement on Stress and Digital Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, Sean McCann stated that personally, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's accused harassment. However he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people posting hurtful and unjust comments about his mother and father.

In the event that Wandelt was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that would be very distressing for me, he said. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that the defendant is doing this has caused me a significant amount of anxiety and I find it deeply troubling.

Wandelt and her co-defendant deny stalking the family family. The trial continue.