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Maddie McCann's twin siblings, Sean and Amelie, have told the court that their interactions with an accused harasser were extremely disturbing and creepy. They explained feeling stressed and frightened by a woman who insisted she was their long-lost sister.

Relentless Contact Described as Scary

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

Messages from the defendant were presented in court, in which she described memories of being in the family home that she said were recovered during hypnotherapy. Amelie told the court, It’s quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these alleged memories, despite the fact she isn't Madeleine.

Fabricated Pictures Heightened Unease

Jurors heard that the accused had produced images of herself and Amelie as children, which the state said were made with ChatGPT. Some of these images were transmitted through social media, while others were produced physically and included in a mail to Amelie.

She stated, I didn’t like it, it caused me to feel very uneasy. She had clearly edited the images to make me look more like her, which was very distressing. I was aware I didn't resemble that, I knew it had been manipulated.

Emotional Toll on the Family

Amelie also spoke about the effect of the supposed harassment on her parent, their mother, who testified about being approached at home by the defendant and her alleged accomplice, a 61-year-old woman.

In my opinion my mother experienced it as the most difficult. My mother was targeted by the defendant more than the rest of us and I think it certainly took its toll on her and her wellbeing, Amelie testified. It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your feelings, to the point you are questioning yourself.

Sibling's Testimony on Stress and Digital Attention

In a testimony read to the trial, her brother said that for him, he had not been severely affected by the defendant's alleged harassment. However he had been upset that she was attracting online attention, with people saying hurtful and unjust comments about his mother and father.

In the event that she was not suffering from a psychological condition and was completely conscious she is not Maddie, yet continues to assert she is, that will be very distressing for me, he said. I am convinced she is my sister. The fact that the defendant is doing this has caused me a significant amount of anxiety and I consider it profoundly troubling.

The defendant and Spragg have pleaded not guilty to stalking the family family. Proceedings continue.