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

Persistent Communication Described as Frightening

Testifying via video link, she stated how the accused, Julia Wandelt, contacted her repeatedly through social media and letters. Amelie explained the persistence was quite frightening because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Messages from the defendant were read in court, in which she recounted memories of being in the family home that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. She told the court, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these supposed recollections, even though she isn't Maddie.

Altered Images Heightened Distress

The court learned that the accused had created pictures of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the state alleged were generated with AI tools. A number of these images were transmitted through social media, while others were produced physically and included in a mail to her.

She said, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly altered the images to make me appear similar to her, which was very distressing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Family

Amelie also discussed the effect of the supposed stalking on her parent, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, Karen Spragg.

I think my mother experienced it as the most difficult. My mother was targeted by Julia to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, Amelie said. It’s upsetting when someone’s pleading with you to believe them and manipulating your emotions, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Testimony on Anxiety and Online Scrutiny

In a witness statement read to the trial, her brother said that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by Wandelt's accused harassment. But he had been upset that she was drawing online attention, with people saying hurtful and unjust things about his parents.

If she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that would be very distressing for me, he said. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has caused me a great deal of stress and I find it profoundly disturbing.

Wandelt and Spragg deny stalking the family family. The trial are ongoing.