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Madeleine McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their encounters with an alleged harasser were deeply upsetting and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling stressed and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Contact Detailed as Scary

Appearing via video link, she described how the defendant, the 24-year-old, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was very scary since it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were read in court, in which she described recollections of living in the family home that she claimed were recalled during hypnotherapy. She testified, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these alleged memories, even though she’s not Maddie.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

The court heard that the accused had produced images of Amelie and herself as children, which the state alleged were made with ChatGPT. Some of these photos were sent through social media, while additional ones were printed and included in a letter to Amelie.

Amelie stated, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me appear similar to her, which was quite disturbing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Household

She also discussed the impact of the supposed harassment on her mother, their mother, 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 most difficult. She was harassed by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, she testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to accept their claims and playing with your emotions, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Testimony on Stress and Online Attention

In a witness statement read to the trial, Sean McCann said that personally, he had not been too badly affected by Wandelt's alleged harassment. However he had been upset that she was drawing online attention, with people posting nasty and unfair things about his parents.

If Wandelt was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that the defendant is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it profoundly troubling.

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