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Madeleine McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an alleged stalker were deeply disturbing and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their long-lost sister.

Relentless Contact Described as Scary

Testifying via video link, Amelie stated how the accused, the 24-year-old, contacted her repeatedly through social media and letters. Amelie explained the persistence was very frightening since it's impossible to predict what she’ll do next.

Messages from Wandelt were read in the trial, in which she described recollections of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recovered under hypnosis. She told the court, It's very upsetting that she’s coming up with these alleged recollections, despite the fact she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Distress

The court heard that Wandelt had created images of Amelie and herself as children, which the state alleged were made with ChatGPT. A number of these images were sent through social media, while others were printed and enclosed in a mail to her.

Amelie said, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uncomfortable. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was quite disturbing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been manipulated.

Emotional Impact on the Household

She also spoke about the effect of the supposed harassment on her mother, Kate, who gave evidence about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mum found it the most difficult. She was harassed by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, Amelie said. It's distressing when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Testimony on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the court, her brother said that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's accused harassment. However he had been upset that she was attracting online attention, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that would be very distressing for me, he testified. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of stress and I consider it deeply troubling.

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