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Maddie McCann twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their interactions with an accused harasser were deeply disturbing and unsettling. They described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Communication Described as Scary

Appearing via video link, Amelie described how the defendant, the 24-year-old, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite scary because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were read in the trial, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. Amelie testified, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these alleged memories, even though she’s not Maddie.

Altered Pictures Heightened Unease

Jurors learned that Wandelt had produced pictures of herself and Amelie as children, which the prosecution alleged were generated with AI tools. A number of these photos were sent through online channels, while additional ones were printed and included in a mail to Amelie.

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

Psychological Toll on the Household

She also discussed the effect of the alleged harassment on her mother, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mother found it the most difficult. She was harassed by Julia to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it definitely had a negative effect on her and her mental health, she said. It's distressing when a person is begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Testimony on Stress and Digital Scrutiny

In a witness statement presented to the court, her brother said that personally, he had not been severely impacted by Wandelt's accused stalking. But he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his mother and father.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The fact that Julia is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of anxiety and I find it profoundly disturbing.

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