UNITED KINGDOM — In emotional testimony that gripped a packed courtroom, Amelie McCann described the disturbing messages she received from a woman who claimed to be her missing sister Madeleine, calling the communications “quite creepy” and manipulative.

"She'd clearly edited the pictures to make me look more like her, which was disturbing," Ms McCann told the court.

The 17-year-old sister of Madeleine McCann, who disappeared from a Portuguese holiday resort in 2007, took the witness stand on Thursday in a high-profile stalking case that has captivated international attention.

Persistent contact campaign detailed

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Amelie told Leicester Court that Julia Wandelt began an intensive messaging campaign across multiple social media platforms in early 2024, persistently claiming to be the missing British toddler who vanished 17 years ago.

“She clearly altered or edited the pictures to make it look more like her, which is quite disturbing,” Amelie testified via video link, describing manipulated photographs Wandelt had sent.

The court heard that Wandelt’s messages often referenced hypnosis sessions and offered to share “memories” with Amelie, while repeatedly demanding that her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, submit to DNA testing.

Family under siege

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Prosecutor Nadia Silver outlined a campaign of harassment that allegedly saw Wandelt contact the McCann family between June 2022 and February 2025. The most intensive day saw Kate McCann receive 60 phone calls from Wandelt in a single 24-hour period.

“All the time her phone would be going off and it would be Julia,” Amelie explained to the jury. “It’s upsetting when someone’s begging you to believe them and playing with your emotions to the point you are questioning yourself and doubting yourself.”

The teenager described how her mother, a respected doctor, “really struggled” with Wandelt’s repeated claims of being her daughter.

Scientific evidence contradicts claims

The prosecution presented what they termed “unequivocal scientific evidence” proving Wandelt has no familial connection to the McCann family, despite her claims of childhood memories related to Madeleine’s disappearance.

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Amelie’s twin brother Sean, also 17, provided a written statement describing Wandelt’s contact attempts as “strange and upsetting,” firmly stating: “I do not believe she is my sister.”

Dramatic confrontation at family home

Earlier testimony revealed that Wandelt had appeared unannounced at the McCann family residence, leading to a disturbing confrontation in which she called Kate McCann “mum” and physically tried to prevent her from closing the door.

“She was asking for a DNA test, ‘why won’t you do a DNA test?’ and pleading with me,” Kate McCann recalled during Wednesday’s proceedings.

Emotional courtroom scenes

The trial has been marked by dramatic outbursts from Wandelt, who broke down in tears Thursday and shouted “why are you doing this to me?” before being escorted from the dock by prison officers.

Wandelt faces charges alongside Karen Spragg, 61, from Cardiff, Wales. Both women deny charges of stalking causing serious alarm and distress.

Case remains in international spotlight

The Madeleine McCann case returned to headlines recently following developments in Germany, where the primary suspect Christian Brueckner was released from prison after completing a seven-year sentence for rape. Despite being named as the top suspect in 2020, German prosecutors have not filed charges due to insufficient evidence.

The trial continues at Leicester Court, with the international media closely following developments in one of the world’s most closely watched missing person cases.