Madeleine McCann’s sister has said her family’s alleged stalker sent “creepy” messages about “flashbacks” and edited images to try to show a family resemblance.
Amelie McCann told a court that Julia Wandelt was “desperate” to convince her she was missing Madeleine and had claimed her memories included playing ‘ring-a-ring-a-roses’ as a child.
The court heard Wandelt allegedly sent the 20-year-old numerous social media messages and letters. The first, in January 2024, allegedly read: “I know so many things. I don’t know if this is the real account for Amelie McCann but I can tell you my memories.”
As it happened: Madeleine McCann’s sister tells trial of ‘creepy’ messages
Ms McCann told Leicester Crown Court it was “quite disturbing that she’s coming up with these supposed memories,” as she was clearly not her sister.
“It makes me feel quite uncomfortable because it is quite creepy she is giving those details and trying to play with my emotions,” she said.
Madeleine McCann disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal in May 2007. She has never been found.
Wandelt, 24, from Lubin in Poland, denies subsequently stalking the family.
However, Madeleine‘s sister told the trial Wandelt had sent “persistent” messages urging her and her mother to take a DNA test, as well as images that were “clearly altered or edited”.
In one instance, she allegedly printed pictures of herself and Amelie McCann and sent them to the family’s home address.
A separate online message is said to have shown an image of her and Wandelt side-by-side.
“She’d clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was disturbing,” Ms McCann told the court. “I didn’t look like that and I knew it had been changed.”
“She is Polish and has Polish family who are her parents. It didn’t make any sense to me,” she added.
Amelie McCann gave evidence remotely on Thursday, a day after her parents also described the distress they had felt, including when the defendants allegedly turned up at their house last December.
She told the court she was scared by a message from Wandelt, which allegedly stated she would “do whatever to prove my identity” as Madeleine.
“It shows you the lengths she would go to, to try and get heard, which is a bit scary because you don’t know what she would do next,” said Ms McCann.
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She said she had blocked Wandelt on multiple social media sites, but that her alleged actions were hardest for her mother, Kate.
“It definitely took a toll on her and her wellbeing because all the time her phone would be going off and it would be Julia,” she said.
Following the alleged December visit by Wandelt and her co-defendant 61-year-old Cardiff woman Karen Spragg – who also denies stalking – Ms McCann said she returned home from university and her parents had strengthened security.
They told her there was “an alarm we could press and alert the police,” the court heard.
‘Upsetting and disrespectful’
Amelie’s twin, Sean McCann, also gave evidence via a written statement in which he said Wandelt had caused a “great deal of stress”.
He said her claim to be his sister was “upsetting” and “deeply disturbing” – but that he felt “guilty” for feeling that way as he believes she might be suffering with a mental health condition.
However, he added: “If she is fully aware she is not Madeleine, yet makes these claims she is, that will be very upsetting for me.”
Sean McCann, 20, told the court he had also received Instagram messages from Wandelt but immediately blocked her.
A friend of the McCanns, Ellie McQueen, was the final witness on Thursday morning and said Wandelt had sent her “relentless” messages online.
She told jurors the first was on Facebook in June 2024 from the profile “Julia Julia”.
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Ms McQueen said Wandelt asked for help to contact the McCanns: “She seemed to know my mum was very close with Kate,” she told the court.
“She was trying to send me DNA evidence to say she is Maddie,” she told the court, adding that Wandelt seemed “upset and aggravated”.
One message allegedly sent by the defendant asks why Kate and Gerry McCann did not turn up to a vigil for Madeleine in their village, which she attended.
In other messages, Wandelt allegedly said she “remembered” a life with Kate and Gerry McCann and even claimed to have the same “spot in my right eye” and “lots of the same moles” as Madeleine.
The trial continues.
