🔗 Share this article

Madeleine McCann's brother and sister, Amelie and Sean, have testified in court that their interactions with an accused stalker were extremely disturbing and unsettling. The siblings described feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Persistent Contact Detailed as Frightening

Testifying via video link, Amelie stated how the accused, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and letters. She said the persistence was very scary because it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were presented in the trial, in which she recounted memories of living in the McCann household that she claimed were recovered under hypnosis. She told the court, It's very disturbing that she's inventing these supposed memories, even though she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Images Heightened Distress

Jurors learned that Wandelt had produced pictures of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the prosecution said were made with ChatGPT. A number of these photos were transmitted through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and included in a mail to her.

Amelie stated, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uneasy. It was evident she altered the images to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been changed.

Emotional Toll on the Family

Amelie also spoke about the impact of the alleged stalking on her parent, their mother, who testified about being approached at her residence by the defendant and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mum experienced it as the most difficult. My mother was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when a person is begging you to accept their claims and manipulating your emotions, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Testimony on Stress and Digital Attention

In a testimony read to the trial, Sean McCann said that for him, he had not been too badly affected by the defendant's alleged stalking. But he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people posting nasty and unfair comments about his mother and father.

If she was not mentally ill and was completely conscious she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that would be very distressing for me, he said. I do not believe she is my sibling. The reality that Julia is doing this has resulted in a great deal of anxiety and I find it deeply disturbing.

Wandelt and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to harassing the McCann family. Proceedings are ongoing.