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Maddie McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their interactions with an accused harasser were deeply disturbing and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Communication Described as Scary

Testifying remotely, she stated how the defendant, the 24-year-old, contacted her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite scary because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she described memories of being in the family home that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. Amelie testified, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these alleged recollections, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Unease

The court heard that the accused had created images of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the prosecution alleged were generated with ChatGPT. A number of these images were sent through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and enclosed in a letter to Amelie.

Amelie stated, It was unpleasant, it made me feel very uncomfortable. It was evident she edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been changed.

Emotional Impact on the Household

Amelie also discussed the impact of the alleged stalking on her parent, Kate, who gave evidence about being approached at her residence by the defendant and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mum found it the most difficult. She was harassed by Julia to a greater extent than the others in the family and I think it certainly had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, Amelie said. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to accept their claims and manipulating your emotions, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Testimony on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a testimony read to the trial, Sean McCann said that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's alleged harassment. However he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people posting hurtful and unjust things about his parents.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The reality that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it deeply troubling.

Wandelt and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to stalking the McCann household. The trial continue.