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Madeleine McCann brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have testified in court that their encounters with an alleged stalker were extremely upsetting and creepy. The siblings explained feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Contact Described as Frightening

Appearing via video link, Amelie described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. Amelie explained the relentlessness was very frightening because it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Communications from the defendant were presented in court, in which she recounted recollections of being in the family home that she claimed were recovered under hypnosis. Amelie told the court, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these supposed memories, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Increased Distress

Jurors learned that the accused had created images of herself and Amelie as children, which the prosecution alleged were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through online channels, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.

Amelie said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uncomfortable. It was evident she edited the images to make me appear similar to her, which was quite disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been manipulated.

Psychological Impact on the Family

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

I think my mum found it the hardest. My mother was targeted by Julia more 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 manipulating your emotions, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Statement on Stress and Online Attention

In a testimony read to the court, Sean McCann said that for him, he had not been severely affected by Wandelt's alleged harassment. But he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people saying hurtful and unjust things about his mother and father.

If she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very distressing for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sibling. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has resulted in a great deal of anxiety and I find it profoundly disturbing.

The defendant and her co-defendant deny stalking the family family. The trial are ongoing.