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

Relentless Contact Detailed as Frightening

Testifying via video link, she described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, contacted her repeatedly through social media and letters. She said the relentlessness was very scary because you don’t know what she’ll do next.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she recounted memories of living in the family home that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. Amelie testified, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these alleged memories, despite the fact she isn't Maddie.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Distress

Jurors heard that Wandelt had created pictures of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the state alleged were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and included in a letter to her.

Amelie stated, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me appear similar to her, which was very disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been manipulated.

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also discussed the impact of the alleged harassment on her parent, their mother, who gave evidence about being approached at her residence by the defendant and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg.

I think my mum experienced it as the hardest. My mother was harassed by Julia more than the others in the family and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s pleading with you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Statement on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the trial, her brother said that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's alleged harassment. But he had been distressed that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair things about his mother and father.

If Wandelt was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that would be very distressing for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sibling. The reality that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has caused me a great deal of anxiety and I consider it deeply disturbing.

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