Madeleine McCann's brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have testified in court that their encounters with an alleged stalker were extremely disturbing and unsettling. The siblings described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their long-lost sister.
Persistent Contact Described as Scary
Appearing via video link, she stated how the defendant, the 24-year-old, reached out to her repeatedly through social media and letters. Amelie explained the relentlessness was very frightening because you don’t know what her next move might be.
Communications from Wandelt were read in court, in which she described recollections of living in the family home that she said were recovered under hypnosis. Amelie told the court, It’s quite upsetting that she's inventing these alleged memories, despite the fact she’s not Maddie.
Fabricated Pictures Increased Distress
Jurors learned that the accused had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as children, which the prosecution said were generated with AI tools. Some of these photos were sent through online channels, while others were printed and enclosed in a letter to her.
Amelie said, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uncomfortable. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was very distressing. I was aware I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been changed.
Psychological Toll on the Family
She also spoke about the impact of the supposed stalking on her mother, Kate, who testified about being approached at home by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.
In my opinion my mother found it the hardest. My mother was harassed by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly had a negative effect on her and her mental health, Amelie said. It's distressing when someone’s pleading with you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.
Brother's Statement on Stress and Digital Scrutiny
In a witness statement read to the court, her brother said that personally, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's accused stalking. But he had been distressed that she was drawing online attention, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his mother and father.
In the event that she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet continues to assert she is, that would be very upsetting for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sister. The fact that Julia is engaging in this behavior has resulted in a significant amount of stress and I consider it deeply disturbing.
Wandelt and her co-defendant have pleaded not guilty to harassing the McCann family. The trial are ongoing.