Madeleine McCann's Brother and Sister Detail Supposed Stalker's Behavior as Extremely Upsetting and Creepy

Madeleine McCann twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their interactions with an alleged stalker were extremely upsetting and creepy. The siblings described feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their long-lost sister.

Relentless Contact Detailed as Scary

Appearing remotely, she stated how the defendant, the 24-year-old, contacted her repeatedly through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was very frightening because it's impossible to predict 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. She told the court, It's very disturbing that she’s coming up with these alleged recollections, despite the fact she’s not Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

The court heard that Wandelt had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the prosecution alleged were made with ChatGPT. A number of these images were sent through online channels, while others were printed and included in a letter to her.

She stated, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Household

She also spoke about the impact of the supposed harassment on her mother, their mother, who testified about being approached 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 think it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, she testified. It's distressing when someone’s pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Statement on Stress and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, her brother said that personally, he had not been too badly affected by Wandelt's accused stalking. However he had been upset that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that would be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The reality that Julia is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of stress and I find it profoundly troubling.

The defendant and Spragg deny stalking the McCann household. The trial continue.