🔗 Share this article

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

Relentless Contact Described as Frightening

Testifying remotely, Amelie described how the accused, the 24-year-old, reached out to her repeatedly through social media and letters. Amelie explained the persistence was very scary since it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from the defendant were presented in court, in which she described memories of living in the family home that she claimed were recalled under hypnosis. Amelie told the court, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these supposed recollections, despite the fact she isn't Maddie.

Fabricated Images Heightened Distress

The court heard that Wandelt had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as children, which the state said were made with AI tools. Some of these images were sent through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.

Amelie stated, I didn’t like it, it made me feel very uncomfortable. She had clearly edited the images to make me look more like her, which was very disturbing. I was aware I didn’t look like that, I understood it had been changed.

Emotional Impact on the Family

Amelie also discussed the effect of the alleged harassment on her mother, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her co-defendant, Karen Spragg.

I think my mother found it the hardest. She was targeted by the defendant more than the others in the family and I believe it definitely had a negative effect on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when a person is begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Testimony on Anxiety and Online Scrutiny

In a testimony read to the court, Sean McCann stated that for him, he had not been too badly impacted by the defendant's alleged harassment. But he had been distressed that she was drawing social media scrutiny, with people saying nasty and unfair comments about his parents.

In the event that she was not mentally ill and was fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims, that will be very distressing for me, he testified. I do not believe she is my sibling. The reality that the defendant is doing this has resulted in a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it profoundly disturbing.

Wandelt and Spragg deny stalking the family household. The trial continue.