madeleine mccann sister stalked by 'creepy' fake maddy

Amelie McCann (left),Madeleine McCann’s sister,has given evidence in the case against Julia Wandelt (right) (Picture: PA)

Madeleine McCann’s sister said an alleged stalker sent her letters and edited photographs to make her look more like her missing sibling.

Amelie McCann said the ‘creepy’ messages from Julia Wandelt made her feel ‘uncomfortable’ and she blocked her on several social media websites to prevent her from getting in touch.

Wandelt,a Polish national,is on trial at Leicester Crown Court,accused of stalking Maddie and Amelie’s parents,Kate and Gerry McCann,as well as their brother Sean.

During a hearing at Leicester Crown Court,prosecutor Nadia Silver said the messages from Wandelt,who has claimed to be the missing girl,included requests for a DNA test and alleged memories from their childhood such as playing Ring-A-Ring-A-Roses with other children.

Amelie said she felt the messages from Wandelt,24,were ‘trying to play with [her] emotions’.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.She added the communication had a ‘sound of desperation’ which put ‘a lot of stress’ on her.Wandelt allegedly sent Amelie a letter that told her she was her ‘last hope’ and contained photographs of the two of them.Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Amelie McCann giving evidence via video link to Leicester Crown Court (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)Giving evidence via video link,Amelie said: ‘I didn’t like it,it made me feel very uncomfortable and I’m not sure if it was this one but she clearly altered or edited the pictures to make it look more like her,which is quite disturbing.‘It was quite distressing to see the messages. As you can see,it’s a long message and there’s a sound of desperation in her message which puts quite a lot of stress on me.‘I felt uncomfortable about it because I don’t want to receive messages like that.‘It is quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories even though she’s not Madeleine.’She added she declined to do a DNA test with Wandelt to prove she was the missing youngster because she ‘always knew she wasn’t Madeleine.’Madeleine McCann taken at 2.29pm on May 3 – the day she went missing from the family’s holiday apartment in Praia da Luz,Portugal (Picture: PA Archive/PA Images)In one message heard by the court,Wandelt said she would ‘do whatever’ to prove her identity as Madeleine,which Amelie said was scary.She added that Wandelt had reached out to her on LinkedIn,while other people reached out to Amelie on Wandelt’s behalf.‘I thought that was quite extreme reaching out to me on a job platform,’ she said.Madeleine’s sister told the jury her mother Kate was ‘stressed and on edge’ after Wandelt visited her family home,calling it an ‘invasion’ of their privacy.The trial also heard a statement from Amelie’s twin brother,Sean,who said he found Wandelt’s claims that she is Madeleine ‘disrespectful’ and ‘deeply disturbing’.‘I find it disrespectful that she’s making this claim and getting a lot of attention and support for it,’ he said.‘The fact Julia has no regard for how we feel about her claims is hurtful.’Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Julia Wandelt (left) and Karen Spragg at Leicester Crown Court (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)Court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Karen Spragg (left) and Julia Wandelt (right) at Leicester Crown Court (Picture: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)He added: ‘I’m aware Julia may be suffering from some sort of mental health.‘If,however,she’s fully aware she is not Madeleine,yet makes these claims she is,that will be very upsetting for me.‘I do not believe she is my sister. The fact Julia is doing this has caused me a great deal of stress and I find it deeply disturbing.’Sean said his family have had ‘unwanted distress over a very sensitive and traumatic matter’,since Madeleine went missing.Wandelt,who is on trial alongside 61-year-old Karen Spragg,is accused of turning up at the McCanns’ family home and signing a letter addressed to them as Madeleine.Wandelt,has claimed claimed she is the missing girl who disappeared from a holiday villa in Praia da Luz in Portugal in 2007 and remains unsolved.Both her and Spragg,of Caerau,Cardiff,both deny a count of stalking causing serious alarm and distress to Kate and Gerry McCann between June 2022 and February 2025.The trial continues.