Samantha Azzopardi, a notorious conwoman in Melbourne, has decided to abandon her appeal against a two-year prison sentence. This decision follows a warning from Judge Fran Dalziel, who cautioned that pursuing the appeal could lead to a harsher penalty. Azzopardi was convicted after admitting to impersonating a sex-trafficked teenager from Belgium to fraudulently obtain over $18,000 in domestic support services in 2023. Her legal counsel argued that the sentence was excessively severe and attributed her actions to unresolved childhood trauma affecting her moral judgement.
During the court proceedings, Judge Dalziel expressed skepticism towards Azzopardi’s claims and emphasised the extensive harm caused to the victims, who were deprived of necessary support due to her manipulation. One staff member remarked on the profound, albeit difficult to quantify, impact of Azzopardi’s deceit on the survivor community. Azzopardi, who has a lengthy criminal record with over 100 charges primarily related to fraud, has adopted various false identities, including a film industry worker and an abused foreign girl. Her life of deception has even inspired a 2023 documentary titled Con Girl. Azzopardi will remain in custody until her scheduled release in October.