Dionne Marie Hanna's luxury life exposed: fraud charges follow 'Con Mum' documentary debut
One of Netflix's latest documentaries, "Con Mum," had everyone shaking their heads in disbelief, and now, the woman at the centre of the chaos is officially facing fraud charges.
The 84-year-old British pensioner Dionne Marie Hanna, made infamous for allegedly conning her son and swindling her way through luxury hotels and bottles of bubbly, has been charged with five counts of fraud in Singapore.
The documentary, which dropped on March 25, follows the unbelievable story of how Hanna re-entered the life of her estranged son, pastry chef Graham Hornigold, in 2020. Claiming to be his long-lost mum, she reached out after decades of absence.
A DNA test confirmed her claim, but that's where the heart-warming reunion ends and the wild ride begins.
Hornigold alleges that after reconnecting with him, his supposed mother scammed him out of hundreds of thousands of pounds. She told him she was a globe-trotting entrepreneur with deep connections, and he believed her until the bills started piling up.
As revealed in the documentary, Hanna's taste for the high life knew no age limit. The woman was living it up in five-star hotels, sipping on champagne, and running up bills that would give most of us heart palpitations.
Now, court documents in Singapore show she allegedly lied to at least three people, including one man she convinced she was related to the Brunei royal family.
Police in Singapore say they've received a string of complaints after the documentary aired and that Hanna is linked to at least five cases of fraud with total losses estimated at over £115,000 – that's more than R2.7 million.
Despite the charges, Hanna didn't appear in court in person. Instead, she made a video appearance from a hospital bed at Tan Tock Seng Hospital in Singapore. The reason for her hospital stay hasn't been made public, but at 84, it's safe to say her days of jet-setting might be behind her.
So why hasn't she been locked up yet? According to authorities, her current health condition is being monitored, and her next court date has been set for April 11. If found guilty, she could be sentenced to up to 20 years behind bars.
But let's be honest – with her age and health, it's unclear if she'll ever actually serve a full prison term. Some might say she knew exactly what she was doing, living large in the twilight of her life because, well, time was no longer on her side.
But who knows, she might turn 100 years old if found guilty. As for Hornigold, he's left to pick up the pieces both emotionally and financially.
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