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Maddie McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an accused harasser were deeply disturbing and unsettling. They explained feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Persistent Communication Detailed as Frightening

Testifying remotely, Amelie described how the accused, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her repeatedly through online platforms and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite scary since you don’t know what she’ll do next.

Communications from the defendant were read in the trial, in which she recounted memories of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. Amelie testified, It's very upsetting that she’s coming up with these supposed recollections, even though she’s not Maddie.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

The court heard that Wandelt had created pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the state said were made with ChatGPT. A number of these images were sent through online channels, while additional ones were printed and included in a mail to Amelie.

She said, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uneasy. It was evident she altered the images to make me look more like her, which was very distressing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also spoke about the effect of the alleged harassment on her mother, Kate, who testified about being approached at home by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, Karen Spragg.

In my opinion my mother experienced it as the most difficult. 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 wellbeing, Amelie testified. It's distressing when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your emotions, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Testimony on Anxiety and Digital Scrutiny

In a witness statement presented to the court, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged harassment. However he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that would be very upsetting for me, he said. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that Julia is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of anxiety and I find it deeply troubling.

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