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Maddie McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their encounters with an alleged stalker were extremely disturbing and unsettling. The siblings described feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Communication Detailed as Scary

Appearing via video link, Amelie described how the accused, the 24-year-old, reached out to her repeatedly through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite frightening because it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in court, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. She testified, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these supposed memories, despite the fact she’s not Madeleine.

Fabricated Images Heightened Unease

The court heard that Wandelt had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the state said were generated with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through online channels, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.

She stated, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uneasy. It was evident she edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been manipulated.

Psychological Impact on the Family

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

In my opinion my mum experienced it as the hardest. She was harassed by Julia more than the rest of us and I believe it definitely had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, she said. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to accept their claims and playing with your emotions, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Testimony on Anxiety and Digital Attention

In a testimony presented to the court, Sean McCann said that for him, he had not been severely affected by Wandelt's accused stalking. However he had been distressed that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people posting hurtful and unjust comments about his mother and father.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has resulted in a great deal of stress and I find it profoundly disturbing.

Wandelt and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to harassing the McCann family. Proceedings continue.