🔗 Share this article

Madeleine McCann's twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, have testified in court that their interactions with an accused stalker were extremely disturbing and creepy. They explained feeling anxious and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Persistent Communication Detailed as Scary

Testifying remotely, she described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite frightening because you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were read in the trial, in which she recounted recollections of being in the McCann household that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. She told the court, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories, despite the fact she’s not Maddie.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

Jurors heard that Wandelt had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as young girls, which the prosecution alleged were generated with AI tools. Some of these photos were sent through online channels, while others were printed and included in a letter to Amelie.

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

Psychological Impact on the Family

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

In my opinion my mum experienced it as the hardest. She was harassed by the defendant more than the others in the family and I believe it definitely took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie said. It's distressing when a person is pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are doubting your own judgment.

Sibling's Statement on Anxiety and Online Scrutiny

In a witness statement read to the court, Sean McCann stated that personally, he had not been too badly impacted by Wandelt's accused harassment. However he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his parents.

If she was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that would be very upsetting for me, he testified. I am convinced she is my sister. The fact that Julia is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it profoundly troubling.

The defendant and her co-defendant deny stalking the McCann household. Proceedings are ongoing.