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Maddie McCann's twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an accused stalker were extremely upsetting and unsettling. The siblings described feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their missing sister.

Relentless Contact Described as Scary

Testifying remotely, she described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, contacted her repeatedly through online platforms and written correspondence. Amelie explained the relentlessness was quite scary since you don’t know what she’ll do next.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in court, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she claimed were recovered during hypnotherapy. She told the court, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories, despite the fact she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

Jurors heard that Wandelt had created images of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the state alleged were generated with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through online channels, while others were printed and enclosed in a letter to her.

She stated, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. It was evident she altered the images to make me appear similar to her, which was quite disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been manipulated.

Emotional Impact on the Household

Amelie also spoke about the impact of the supposed stalking on her mother, their mother, who testified about being approached at home by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mother found it the hardest. She was targeted by Julia more than the rest of us and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, she testified. It's distressing when a person is pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Statement on Stress and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, Sean McCann stated that personally, he had not been severely impacted by the defendant's alleged stalking. But he had been upset that she was drawing online attention, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

If 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 Julia is doing this has caused me a significant amount of stress and I consider it deeply troubling.

Wandelt and her co-defendant have pleaded not guilty to harassing the family household. Proceedings continue.