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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have testified in court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were deeply disturbing and creepy. The siblings described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Communication Described as Scary

Appearing remotely, Amelie described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite scary since you don’t know what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were presented in court, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she said were recovered under hypnosis. Amelie testified, It’s quite disturbing that she's inventing these supposed recollections, even though she’s not Maddie.

Fabricated Images Heightened Distress

The court learned that Wandelt had created pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the prosecution said were made with AI tools. Some of these images were sent through social media, while others were produced physically and included in a mail to Amelie.

She stated, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. It was evident she edited the images to make me appear similar to her, which was quite disturbing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I understood it had been manipulated.

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also spoke about the impact of the alleged stalking on her parent, Kate, who gave evidence about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mother experienced it as the most difficult. She was targeted 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 mental health, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your emotions, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Testimony on Stress and Digital Attention

In a witness statement presented to the court, her brother said that for him, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged stalking. However he had been upset that she was drawing online attention, with people posting hurtful and unjust things about his parents.

If she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has caused me a great deal of anxiety and I consider it deeply troubling.

Wandelt and her co-defendant have pleaded not guilty to stalking the family household. Proceedings are ongoing.