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Maddie McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were deeply disturbing and unsettling. They described feeling stressed and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Contact Described as Scary

Testifying remotely, she described how the defendant, the 24-year-old, reached out to her repeatedly through online platforms and letters. Amelie explained the relentlessness was quite frightening because you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were read in court, in which she recounted recollections of living in the McCann household that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. She testified, It’s quite upsetting that she's inventing these alleged memories, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Images Increased Unease

Jurors learned that Wandelt had produced pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the prosecution said were generated with AI tools. A number of these images were transmitted through social media, while others were printed and included in a mail to her.

Amelie said, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. She had clearly altered the pictures to make me look more like her, which was quite distressing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Emotional Toll on the Household

She also discussed the impact of the supposed harassment on her parent, Kate, who testified about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, Karen Spragg.

In my opinion my mother found it the hardest. My mother was targeted by Julia to a greater extent than the others in the family and I believe it certainly had a negative effect on her and her mental health, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and manipulating your emotions, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Statement on Anxiety and Digital Scrutiny

In a testimony presented to the trial, Sean McCann said that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by Wandelt's alleged stalking. But he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

If Wandelt was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The fact that Julia is doing this has caused me a great deal of stress and I consider it deeply disturbing.

Wandelt and her co-defendant deny harassing the family household. The trial continue.