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Madeleine McCann's twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their encounters with an alleged harasser were deeply disturbing and creepy. They explained feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Relentless Contact Detailed as Scary

Testifying remotely, she described how the defendant, Julia Wandelt, contacted her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. Amelie explained the relentlessness was quite scary since you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she recounted recollections of being in the family home that she said were recalled during hypnotherapy. She testified, It’s quite disturbing that she's inventing these supposed recollections, even though she isn't Maddie.

Altered Images Heightened Unease

Jurors heard that Wandelt had created images of Amelie and herself as children, which the prosecution alleged were generated with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through social media, while others were printed and included in a mail to Amelie.

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

Psychological Impact on the Family

She also discussed the impact of the supposed harassment on her mother, their mother, who gave evidence about being approached at home by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, Karen Spragg.

I think my mum found it the most difficult. She was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I believe it definitely had a negative effect on her and her mental health, she said. It's distressing when a person is begging you to accept their claims and manipulating your feelings, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Brother's Testimony on Anxiety and Digital Attention

In a testimony presented to the trial, Sean McCann stated that personally, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's accused harassment. But he had been upset that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair comments about his mother and father.

In the event that Wandelt was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that would be very distressing for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that Julia is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it profoundly disturbing.

Wandelt and her co-defendant deny stalking the McCann family. The trial continue.