Disabled woman wins $500,000 payout from Rocco Leo's Agape Ministries doomsday cult

SILVIA Melchiorre and her family have spent years and more than $40,000 chasing cultist Rocco Leo through the courts.

SILVIA Melchiorre and her family have spent years and more than $40,000 chasing cultist Rocco Leo through the courts.

His fugitive ways worked in her favour yesterday when the District Court awarded her $420,000 by default.

The profoundly disabled woman's victory was not complete, though. She faces a second legal battle to unlock the money from Leo's frozen assets.

Ms Melchiorre, a stroke victim, filed court action against Leo seeking the refunding of $420,000 in donations.

She claimed Leo duped her into handing over the money in return for promises he would heal her and save her from Armageddon. A trial over the claim was due to start yesterday.

Instead, Judge David Lovell entered a default judgment on her behalf because neither Leo nor his lawyers attended court.

The Advertiser revealed last week solicitors had withdrawn from the case because Leo, who is in Fiji, failed to respond to their emails.

David Bulloch, for Ms Melchiorre, said in court the payout was $534,389.59 after costs and interest. He said the next hurdle would be securing that money.

Agape Ministries' assets, which span two states, eight properties, a 13-vehicle fleet and 10 separate bank accounts, are frozen because of a $4.1 million claim by the Tax Office.

Mr Bulloch asked the court to declare Leo had held Ms Melchiorre's donations in trust, meaning they were not assets and therefore immune to the freezing order.

Judge Lovell said he would hear further argument tomorrow.