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

Relentless Communication Detailed as Frightening

Testifying remotely, Amelie stated how the accused, the 24-year-old, reached out to her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the persistence was very scary because it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were presented in the trial, in which she described recollections of being in the family home that she said were recovered during hypnotherapy. She told the court, It's very upsetting that she’s coming up with these alleged memories, even though she’s not Maddie.

Fabricated Images Increased Unease

The court learned that Wandelt had created pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the state said were made with AI tools. Some of these photos were transmitted through online channels, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a letter to her.

Amelie said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. 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 manipulated.

Psychological Impact on the Family

Amelie also discussed the impact of the alleged stalking on her parent, Kate, who gave evidence about being confronted at home by the defendant and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mum experienced it as 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, Amelie 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 questioning yourself.

Sibling's Statement on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the trial, Sean McCann stated that personally, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged stalking. However he had been upset that she was attracting online attention, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

In the event that Wandelt 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 the defendant is doing this has caused me a significant amount of stress and I find it deeply troubling.

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