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Madeleine McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were deeply disturbing and unsettling. They explained feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their missing sister.

Relentless Contact Detailed as Frightening

Appearing via video link, she described how the accused, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. She said the persistence was quite scary because you don’t know what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she recounted memories of being in the McCann household that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. Amelie testified, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these supposed memories, despite the fact she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Distress

The court heard that the accused had produced pictures of herself and Amelie as children, which the state said were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were sent through social media, while others were printed and included in a letter to Amelie.

She said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also spoke about the effect of the supposed stalking on her mother, their mother, who testified about being approached at home by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mum experienced it as the hardest. My mother was targeted by Julia to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, she said. It’s upsetting when someone’s pleading with you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Statement on Stress and Online Scrutiny

In a witness statement presented to the trial, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been severely impacted by the defendant's alleged harassment. However he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people posting nasty and unfair things about his parents.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that would be very upsetting for me, he testified. I am convinced she is my sibling. The fact that the defendant is doing this has caused me a great deal of stress and I find it profoundly troubling.

Wandelt and Spragg deny stalking the McCann family. Proceedings continue.