🔗 Share this article

Madeleine McCann's twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were extremely disturbing and unsettling. They described feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their missing sister.

Persistent Contact Described as Scary

Appearing remotely, Amelie stated how the accused, the 24-year-old, contacted her repeatedly through online platforms and letters. Amelie explained the relentlessness was very scary since it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from the defendant were read in the trial, in which she described recollections of living in the family home that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. She told the court, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these alleged recollections, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Distress

The court learned that Wandelt had created images of Amelie and herself as children, which the state said were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through social media, while additional ones were printed and enclosed in a letter to Amelie.

She stated, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uneasy. She had clearly altered the images to make me appear similar to her, which was very disturbing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been manipulated.

Emotional Toll on the Household

Amelie also spoke about the effect of the supposed harassment on her parent, 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 mum found it the hardest. She was targeted by Julia to a greater extent than the others in the family and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, she testified. It's distressing when a person is pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Testimony on Anxiety and Digital Scrutiny

In a testimony read to the court, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged harassment. But he had been distressed that she was attracting online attention, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The reality that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has caused me a great deal of stress and I find it deeply troubling.

The defendant and her co-defendant deny stalking the family family. The trial continue.