The British woman, the subject of a Netflix documentary detailing how she is said to have conned her son and left him in debt to finance her extravagant lifestyle, has been charged with fraud in Singapore.
Dionne Marie Hanna, aged 84, became the subject of police reports filed by her alleged victims after they watched the documentary “Con Mum,” according to local media reports cited by BBC. These victims accused the Singapore resident of taking their money by promising reimbursement through her supposed inheritance from Brunei’s royal family.
This fraud is similar to the one she purportedly committed against London baker Graham Hornigold, whom she reached out to in 2020 and told that she was his long-lost mother. A DNA test later revealed that Hanna was Hornigold’s mother.
Hanna was charged with five counts of fraud and was heard in a district court via video link on Saturday. Channel NewsAsia said that she was observed lying on a hospital bed with an investigating officer by her side.
She is accused of deceiving three men in Singapore and France into transferring money to her accounts, claiming the funds were needed for legal fees and the opening of new bank accounts. Hanna reportedly sought their sympathy by claiming she was terminally ill and promised to reimburse them through her supposed inheritance, asserting that she is part of Brunei’s royal family. Her son questions these claims in the documentary.
In exchange for her money, she also undertook to give millions of dollars to a mosque and a Muslim charity in Singapore, the court was told.
While it is not immediately known how much money her purported victims lost, Singapore police reported that initial investigations point to her being implicated in at least five cheating cases worth over S$200,000 ($149,000; £115,400). Hanna faces up to 20 years behind bars and a fine if convicted.
Issued on Netflix on 25 March, “Con Mum” records Hornigold’s rekindling of love with Ms. Hanna in the UK during lockdown. Initially claiming to be an affluent, illegitimate daughter of the Sultan of Brunei, she showered Hornigold, his ex-partner Heather Kaniuk, and friends with expensive presents, from automobiles to houses.
Despite skepticism at first, Hornigold, a Michelin-starred restaurant worker and founder of Longboys Doughnuts, came to have a close bond with his mother. But as time went on, Ms. Hanna started leaving Hornigold and his friends to pay for her mounting bills—Hornigold reported losing £300,000—before she vanished.
The film reports that Hanna has a reported history of having been convicted in the UK of shoplifting and fraud.