Madeleine McCann's Siblings Describe Supposed Harasser's Behavior as Deeply Upsetting and Creepy
Maddie McCann brother and sister, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their encounters with an alleged stalker were deeply disturbing and unsettling. They described feeling anxious and scared by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.
Relentless Contact Detailed as Scary
Testifying via video link, Amelie stated how the accused, Julia Wandelt, reached out to her multiple times through online platforms and written correspondence. She said the relentlessness was quite frightening because you don’t know what she’ll do next.
Communications from Wandelt were read in the trial, in which she described memories of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recovered under hypnosis. Amelie told the court, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories, even though she’s not Madeleine.
Altered Pictures Increased Unease
Jurors heard that the accused had produced images of herself and Amelie as young girls, which the prosecution alleged were generated with AI tools. A number of these photos were sent through online channels, while additional ones were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.
Amelie stated, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. It was evident she altered the pictures to make me look more like her, which was quite disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been manipulated.
Psychological Toll on the Household
Amelie also discussed the impact of the alleged harassment on her mother, their mother, who testified about being approached at her residence by Wandelt and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.
In my opinion my mother experienced it as the most difficult. She was targeted by the defendant to a greater extent than the others in the family and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, she testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the point you are questioning yourself.
Brother's Statement on Stress and Digital Attention
In a testimony presented to the court, her brother stated that personally, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's accused harassment. However he had been upset that she was attracting social media scrutiny, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his parents.
If she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sibling. The reality that the defendant is doing this has caused me a great deal of anxiety and I consider it deeply disturbing.
Wandelt and her co-defendant deny harassing the family family. Proceedings continue.