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

Persistent Contact Detailed as Scary

Appearing remotely, she described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, contacted her repeatedly through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite scary since it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Communications from the defendant were presented in court, in which she described recollections of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recalled during hypnotherapy. Amelie testified, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these supposed recollections, despite the fact she isn't Maddie.

Altered Images Heightened Unease

The court learned that Wandelt had created pictures of herself and Amelie as children, which the state said were made with ChatGPT. A number of these images were sent through social media, while others were printed and included in a mail to Amelie.

Amelie stated, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. It was evident she altered the pictures to make me look more like her, which was quite distressing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been manipulated.

Emotional Toll on the Household

She also discussed the impact of the supposed stalking on her mother, their mother, who gave evidence about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mum experienced it as the hardest. My mother was harassed by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I think 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 manipulating your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Testimony on Stress and Digital Scrutiny

In a testimony presented to the trial, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by Wandelt's accused stalking. However he had been upset that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his mother and father.

In the event that Wandelt was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that would be very distressing for me, he testified. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that the defendant is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of stress and I consider it profoundly troubling.

The defendant and Spragg deny stalking the McCann family. The trial continue.