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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their interactions with an accused stalker were deeply disturbing and creepy. The siblings described feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Communication Described as Scary

Appearing via video link, she 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 frightening since it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Communications from the defendant were presented in the trial, in which she described recollections of being in the family home that she said were recalled under hypnosis. Amelie told the court, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these alleged recollections, despite the fact she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Distress

Jurors learned that the accused had produced images of Amelie and herself as children, which the prosecution said were generated with AI tools. A number of these photos were transmitted through online channels, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.

She stated, It was unpleasant, it made me feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me appear similar to her, which was quite distressing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I understood it had been manipulated.

Psychological Toll on the Family

Amelie also discussed the impact of the supposed harassment on her mother, Kate, who testified about being approached at home by Wandelt and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg.

I think my mum experienced it as the hardest. She was targeted by Julia more than the rest of us and I think it definitely took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It's distressing when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Statement on Stress and Digital Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, her brother stated that personally, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's accused harassment. However he had been upset that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his mother and father.

In the event that Wandelt was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very distressing for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has resulted in a significant amount of stress and I find it deeply disturbing.

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