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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were deeply upsetting and creepy. The siblings described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Contact Detailed as Frightening

Testifying via video link, she described how the defendant, the 24-year-old, contacted her multiple times through social media and letters. Amelie explained the persistence was quite scary because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from the defendant were presented in court, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she said were recalled under hypnosis. She told the court, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these supposed memories, even though she’s not Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

The court heard that Wandelt had created pictures of herself and Amelie as children, which the state said were generated with ChatGPT. A number of these photos were transmitted through social media, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a letter to her.

She said, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the images to make me appear similar to her, which was very disturbing. I was aware I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been changed.

Emotional Impact on the Family

She also discussed the effect of the supposed stalking on her parent, Kate, who testified about being confronted at home by the defendant and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mother found it the most difficult. My mother was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when a person is begging you to accept their claims and manipulating your emotions, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Testimony on Stress and Online Attention

In a testimony presented to the trial, Sean McCann said that personally, he had not been severely impacted by Wandelt's accused stalking. But he had been upset that she was attracting online attention, with people posting hurtful and unjust things about his parents.

In the event that Wandelt was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very distressing for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sibling. The fact that Julia is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of stress and I find it profoundly troubling.

The defendant and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to stalking the family family. Proceedings are ongoing.