Bowral’s Annabel Walker jailed over fraud offences

A ‘charming and sweet’ former private school girl from the Southern Highlands is sitting in a jail cell after a stunning fall from grace which saw her steal thousands of dollars from friends and strangers.

From designer clothes and handbags to prison greens, Annabel Walker’s trail of financial deceit has landed her a stay in jail, a world away from the swanky resort and bars she is used to.

The 32-year-old may seem an eloquent, well-dressed young woman from an upper class family, but in recent months she’s become a well-known con artist, concocting stories and wonderful excuses to avoid paying her debts.

So where did it all go wrong for Walker, known by those closest to her as ‘Belle’? The Southern Highlands socialite is the daughter of her divorced parents, father Sandy Walker and mother Kate Hyles.

Annabel Walker has had a stunning fall from grace. Picture: Jeremy Piper

Growing up, she attended the prestigious private girls school Frensham, before spending her 20s on the Sydney social scene, hanging out in eastern suburbs, dining at posh restaurants and drinking expensive champagne on glamping trips.

But behind a curated Instagram and polished social image, Walker was hiding a web of lies and deceit, stealing from her bosses and close friends.

But her seemingly enviable world came crashing down in 2017, when her arrest and charges over a string of fraud offences were made public.

Walker racked up huge bills at luxury destinations like Rae’s on Wategos in Byron Bay, and gave excuses to landlords in Bondi and Darlinghurst instead of rent. She stole over $17,000 from her boss to fund her extravagant lifestyle and dined out with her then boyfriend.

“She was living the high life,” one of her former friends, and victims, told the Bowral News.

“She was out of control.”

Annabel Walker had a glamorous lifestyle as a well-known socialite before her serial frauds became known.

Last year, she was led away from a Sydney courthouse in tears, jailed for 18 months with a 12-month non parole period.

But just this week, Walker returned to a Southern Highlands courtroom, where her release date was pushed back even further, after running a dodgy Gumtree rental scheme and defrauding her friend of more than $3100 in credit card charges in November 2019.

When the victim and Walker became friends in February 2018, she had no idea that her new friend would turn out to be so manipulative.

“She was charming and so sweet,” she told the Bowral News on the condition of anonymity.

“You’d never think in a million years that she would do something like that when you met her. But that’s why she gets away with it so much.”

Annabel Walker faced court last year on a raft of fraud charges. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Over the course of their friendship, Walker stole from her friend to fund her lavish lifestyle, splashing over $1500 on fancy booze and over $600 on bikinis.

The court heard when the victim cancelled her credit cards, Walker procured her new credit card details by offering to cook the victim’s family a homemade meal at their home. When new fraudulent charges appeared, the victim confronted Walker, who denied everything.

“She said ‘how could you think I’d do something like that’?,” she said.

“What got me the most was that she ripped off my teenage son.”

At the time of the offences, Walker was on bail for previous fraud charges. The victim said Walker’s reputation as a swindler in the Southern Highlands preceded her.

“I did get warned by a local lady who knew of some people who had been ripped off locally,” she said.

Annabel Walker defrauded friends to prop up her glamorous lifestyle. Picture: Instagram

Despite the volume of her crimes, Walker’s lawyer argued for leniency at Moss Vale Court this week.

“In terms of bringing home to her the wrongness of her ways at the time, I’d ask your honour to consider that going into jail and considering her actions has had an effect,” he said.

However, Magistrate Mark Douglass said it was time to send a “strong message” to people who would breach the trust of those around them.

“Our system works on trust. This is a significant breach of trust,” he said.

“A custodial sentence is necessary to send a message to this offender.”

Walker was sentenced to 14 months imprisonment, with a non-parole of seven months.

For a glamorous socialite, it was a lonely end to a long battle. Unlike previous court hearings, there were no family or friends to support Walker in court this time.

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