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Maddie McCann twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their encounters with an accused harasser were extremely upsetting and unsettling. The siblings explained feeling anxious and scared by a woman who claimed she was their missing sister.

Relentless Communication Detailed as Frightening

Testifying via video link, she described how the accused, the 24-year-old, reached out to her multiple times through social media and written correspondence. She said the persistence was quite frightening since you don’t know what her next move might be.

Messages from Wandelt were presented in the trial, in which she recounted recollections of being in the McCann household that she said were recalled under hypnosis. She testified, It's very upsetting that she's inventing these supposed recollections, even though she isn't Maddie.

Fabricated Images Increased Unease

The court heard that Wandelt had produced images of Amelie and herself as children, which the prosecution alleged were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through social media, while additional ones were produced physically and enclosed in a mail to her.

Amelie said, It was unpleasant, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the pictures to make me appear similar to her, which was quite distressing. I knew I didn’t look like that, I knew it had been changed.

Psychological Impact on the Household

She also spoke about the impact of the supposed harassment on her parent, their mother, who testified about being confronted at her residence by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

I think my mother found it the most difficult. My mother was targeted by the defendant to a greater extent than the rest of us and I believe it certainly took its toll on her and her mental health, Amelie testified. It's distressing when a person is pleading with you to accept their claims and playing with your feelings, to the point you are doubting your own judgment.

Brother's Testimony on Anxiety and Digital Scrutiny

In a testimony read to the trial, her brother said that for him, he had not been severely impacted by the defendant's accused stalking. But he had been upset that she was drawing online attention, with people saying nasty and unfair things about his parents.

If 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 said. I am convinced she is my sister. The reality that Julia is engaging in this behavior has resulted in a significant amount of stress and I find it deeply disturbing.

The defendant and her co-defendant have pleaded not guilty to harassing the McCann household. Proceedings continue.