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Madeleine McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their encounters with an alleged harasser were deeply upsetting and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Communication Described as Frightening

Testifying via video link, Amelie described how the accused, Julia Wandelt, contacted her multiple times through online platforms and letters. Amelie explained the relentlessness was quite scary because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were presented in court, in which she described memories of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. She told the court, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these alleged recollections, even though she’s not Madeleine.

Altered Pictures Increased Distress

Jurors learned that the accused had produced pictures of herself and Amelie as children, which the prosecution alleged were made with AI tools. A number of these images were sent through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and included in a mail to her.

Amelie said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to 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 understood it had been manipulated.

Psychological Toll on the Family

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

I think my mum experienced it as the hardest. She was targeted by the defendant to a greater extent than the others in the family and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It's distressing when a person is begging you to accept their claims and manipulating your emotions, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Statement on Anxiety and Digital Scrutiny

In a testimony presented to the trial, her brother stated that personally, he had not been severely impacted by Wandelt's accused harassment. But he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair things about his mother and father.

If she 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 sister. The fact that the defendant is doing this has caused me a great deal of stress and I find it deeply troubling.

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