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Madeleine McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their interactions with an alleged harasser were deeply upsetting and creepy. They described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Contact Detailed as Frightening

Testifying via video link, she described how the accused, Julia Wandelt, contacted her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the persistence was quite frightening because it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Communications from Wandelt were read in court, in which she recounted recollections of living in the family home that she claimed were recalled during hypnotherapy. She testified, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these alleged memories, even though she isn't Maddie.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Unease

The court heard that the accused had created pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the state alleged were generated with ChatGPT. A number of these images were transmitted through social media, 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 altered the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I was aware I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also spoke about the effect of the supposed harassment on her parent, their mother, who gave evidence 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 most difficult. My mother was harassed by the defendant more than the rest of us and I think it certainly had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It's distressing when someone’s begging you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Statement on Stress and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged stalking. But he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people saying hurtful and unjust things about his mother and father.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that Julia is doing this has caused me a significant amount of stress and I consider it deeply disturbing.

The defendant and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to stalking the McCann family. Proceedings continue.