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Maddie McCann brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their encounters with an accused stalker were extremely upsetting and unsettling. They explained feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their missing sister.

Persistent Contact Detailed as Scary

Appearing via video link, she stated how the defendant, the 24-year-old, contacted her repeatedly through social media and written correspondence. Amelie explained the relentlessness was quite frightening because you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were presented in court, in which she recounted recollections of being in the family home that she said were recovered during hypnotherapy. She told the court, It’s quite upsetting that she’s coming up with these supposed recollections, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Images Increased Unease

The court learned that Wandelt had created images of Amelie and herself as children, which the prosecution alleged were made with AI tools. A number of these images were transmitted through social media, while additional ones were printed and enclosed in a mail to Amelie.

She stated, It was unpleasant, it made me feel very uneasy. She had clearly altered the images to make me look more like her, which was quite disturbing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Toll on the Household

Amelie also discussed the impact of the supposed stalking on her mother, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mother experienced it as the most difficult. My mother was harassed by the defendant more than the others in the family and I think it definitely had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, she said. It’s upsetting when a person is begging you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Statement on Anxiety and Online Attention

In a witness statement presented to the court, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been too badly affected by Wandelt's alleged stalking. However he had been distressed that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very distressing for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sibling. The fact that the defendant is doing this has resulted in a great deal of anxiety and I find it profoundly troubling.

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