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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their encounters with an accused stalker were extremely disturbing and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling anxious and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Relentless Contact Detailed as Frightening

Appearing via video link, Amelie stated how the defendant, the 24-year-old, reached out to her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the persistence was very scary since you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were presented in the trial, in which she recounted recollections of being in the family home that she claimed were recalled during hypnotherapy. She told the court, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these supposed recollections, despite the fact she’s not Maddie.

Altered Pictures Increased Distress

Jurors learned that Wandelt had created images of herself and Amelie as children, which the state said were generated with ChatGPT. Some of these photos were sent through online channels, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a letter to Amelie.

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

Psychological Impact on the Family

Amelie also discussed the effect of the alleged harassment on her mother, their mother, who gave evidence about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mum found it the most difficult. My mother was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, she testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Statement on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a testimony read to the court, her brother stated that for him, he had not been severely impacted by the defendant's accused stalking. But he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people posting nasty and unfair things about his parents.

If Wandelt was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sibling. The reality that Julia is doing this has caused me a great deal of anxiety and I consider it profoundly disturbing.

The defendant and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to harassing the family household. The trial continue.