bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

The whereabouts of a suspected con woman featured in a scam documentary were revealed on Saturday, when she was produced in Singapore’s State Courts for fraud charges.
British national Dionne Marie Hanna, 84, was arrested on March 28, days after a documentary called Con Mum debuted on streaming platform Netflix. It tells the story of how she allegedly tricked her son, leaving him in debt, after reconnecting with him.
Hanna appeared in the State Courts via video link. She was lying on a hospital bed, dressed in a striped shirt. An investigating officer was with Hanna, who was unrepresented.
She was then handed five counts of fraud by false representation involving three alleged victims.
According to the police, Hannah allegedly cheated her victims through promises of investment opportunities and inheritance entitlements.
The victims were asked to transfer money for legal fees and the opening of overseas bank accounts, and were reportedly promised that they would be reimbursed through Hanna’s inheritance.
Two of the offences are said to have occurred in France, where Hanna supposedly deceived a man named Paiman Supangat.
Between March 3 and March 5, Hanna is said to have told him that he needed to pay legal fees to open a bank account, and for her to increase the contribution amount to him.
She is also accused of deceiving Paiman into thinking that she intended to repay him the money that she wanted to borrow from him to fund her personal shopping expenses. She had no intention of returning the money, the charge stated.

In Singapore, sometime between February 17 and March 10, Hanna claimed that she was from the Brunei royal family, that she was terminally ill with cancer, and that she wanted to distribute her wealth to Paiman and his son.
Her purported health condition was apparently used to cheat another victim in Singapore, Mohamed Syafiq Paiman. She reportedly expressed her desire to distribute her wealth to him on March 10 this year.
Hanna is suspected of deceiving a third victim, Mohamed Ariffin Mohamed Kawaja Kamaludin, at 10 Scotts Road – the address of Grand Hyatt hotel in Singapore – from February 13 to February 14.
She allegedly committed fraud by making him believe she was terminally ill with cancer, and expressing her intention to donate S$3 million (US$2.2 million) to Masjid Khalid and S$2 million to Mawar Community Services, a registered society to help ex-offenders.
Charge sheets did not state the value of losses suffered by the alleged victims.
Singapore police said on Friday that Hanna is believed to be involved in at least five cases of cheating with losses amounting to more than S$200,000.
The judge granted the prosecution’s application to have Hanna remanded for a week upon her discharge from Tan Tock Seng Hospital, and for permission to have her taken out for investigations into similar offences.
Asked if she understood, Hanna replied “yes” weakly.
Her case will be mentioned again on April 11.
Singapore police said that they have been receiving reports from victims since March 28.
The victims only realised that they had been cheated after Hanna was featured in Con Mum, which became available on Netflix on March 25.
Con Mum follows the experience of a London pastry chef Graham Hornigold, whose life was upended when Hanna, claiming to be his long-lost mother, reappeared to him in 2020. Hanna is referred to as Dionne in the film.
Presenting herself as a wealthy daughter of the sultan of Brunei, Hanna then proceeds to con Hornigold and other victims out of more than hundreds of thousands of pounds, according to the documentary. The developments caused Hornigold’s split with his partner.
The story is told through interviews with Hornigold, his ex-partner and other alleged victims of Hanna’s.
At the end of it, Hornigold is shown to have a video call with Hanna, who claims to be in Malaysia. However, media reports on the film have placed her whereabouts as unknown, as Hanna declined to participate in the documentary.
A DNA test shown at the end of the documentary concludes that Hanna was indeed Hornigold’s biological mother.
If convicted of fraud by false representation in Singapore, an offender may be jailed for up to 20 years, fined, or both.
This story was first published by CNA


Singapore-incorporated coconut water firm gets closer to cracking Hong Kong’s IPO market

Ant International issues first sustainability report after spin-off amid IPO speculation

Malaysia’s roads under scrutiny after Singaporean cyclist’s death in Johor

Trade worries drag Singapore’s home sales down to 5-month low

Singapore

Netflix’s Con Mum star Dionne Marie Hanna charged in Singapore with fraud

Pastry chef Graham Hornigold was reportedly scammed by his mother, who featured in a Netflix documentary. Photo: Instagram/ghornigold

Dionne Marie Hanna. Photo: YouTube/Netflix

Man, 73, jailed for molesting 4 women on Singapore Airlines flight

A man was jailed for nine months for molesting four cabin crew members on a Singapore Airlines flight from San Francisco to the city state. Photo: AFP

Singapore to consider caning as punishment for serious scam offences

The Merlion statue spouts water at a park with the background of a business district in Singapore. Photo: AP

Singapore detains boy, 17, allegedly planning to kill ‘at least 100’ Muslims

Singapore has seen several cases in recent years where young Singaporeans have been detained for allegedly making attack plans following exposure to extremist content online. Photo: AFP

News

Asia

Southeast Asia

In Singapore, Hanna, 84, is believed to be involved in at least five cheating cases with losses amounting to US$149,000


In Singapore, Hanna, 84, is believed to be involved in at least five cheating cases with losses amounting to US$149,000.


Scams and swindles

Britain

Netflix