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Madeleine McCann twin siblings, Amelie and Sean, have told the court that their interactions with an alleged stalker were extremely upsetting and creepy. They explained feeling anxious and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their missing sister.

Persistent Contact Detailed as Scary

Appearing via video link, she stated how the accused, the 24-year-old, contacted her multiple times through social media and letters. She said the relentlessness was very frightening because it's impossible to predict what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were read in the trial, in which she recounted memories of being in the McCann household that she claimed were recovered during hypnotherapy. Amelie testified, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these alleged recollections, even though she isn't Maddie.

Altered Pictures Increased Distress

Jurors heard that the accused had produced pictures of Amelie and herself as children, which the state said were made with AI tools. A number of these photos were transmitted through social media, while others were produced physically and enclosed in a letter to her.

She said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly altered the pictures to make me appear similar to her, which was quite disturbing. I knew I didn't resemble that, I understood it had been changed.

Emotional Toll on the Family

She also discussed the impact of the supposed stalking on her parent, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by Wandelt and her co-defendant, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mum experienced it as the hardest. My mother was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I think it definitely took its toll on her and her mental health, she said. It’s upsetting when a person is pleading with you to believe them and manipulating your feelings, to the extent you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Testimony on Stress and Digital Attention

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

If she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet makes these claims, that would be very upsetting for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sibling. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has caused me a significant amount of stress and I consider it deeply troubling.

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