Application to dismiss lying charges for infamous con artist Samantha Azzopardi refused

An international scam artist with more than 40 aliases will face criminal sentencing after her application to dismiss the charges of lying about being a teen victim of a sex assault was refused.

An international scam artist with more than 40 aliases will face criminal sentencing after her application to dismiss the charges of lying about being a teen victim of a sex assault was refused.

Samantha Azzopardi, 32, appeared in Picton Court on Friday after pleading guilty to two charges of falsely representing an act to police.

According to the police facts, the Douglas Park resident contacted a youth worker at Youth Off The Streets on November 19 and claimed she was a teenage member of a cult. Azzopardi told the youth worker her parents had sent her from Brisbane to live with a man who had regular non-consensual sex with her, took photos of her, and held her captive.

Con artist Samantha Azzopardi’s application for dismissal of the charges on mental health grounds has been refused. Picture: Simon Bullard

She told the youth worker she sometimes slept in the park to avoid the ‘22-year-old man’, according to documents tendered to the court. The youth worker subsequently called the Child Protection Helpline, which triggered a police investigation.

The police facts show officers arranged with the youth worker to meet Azzopardi, who was using the 16-year-old alias Eleanor Harris, on November 22 but the accused failed to show.

A week later, Azzopardi went to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and told a doctor she was a 16-year-old girl who had been sexually assaulted. She spun the doctor a story similar to what she’d told the youth worker, adding that she had been injected with a fertility drug against her wishes. However, she ran off before the doctor was able to perform an examination.

Later that day, the facts show she met with the youth worker who noticed she had a bruise under her eye. According to the documents, Azzopardi told her ‘Aaron’ had hit her. However, police noted the bruise was absent when they visited her house on the same day.

International fraudster Samantha Azzopardi (aka Emily Bamberger) leaves a Picton cafe near the courthouse on March 18. Picture: Simon Bullard

Azzopardi was arrested on December 1 after she made another call to the youth worker, who informed police.

This is not the first time the 32-year-old has impersonated a teenager, according to the court documents which state she previously pretended to be a 13-year-old girl to enrol in school.

Azzopardi has 40 recognised aliases and has been convicted of international fraud, the documents state.

“The accused is skilled at fraud and con artistry,” the police facts state.

According to the court documents, Azzopardi falsely claimed she was a victim of human trafficking in Ireland and cause police to launch a $300,000 investigation. She also wasted $159,000 in Canadian police resources when she told police she was kidnapped and tortured.

Back in Australia, she has been charged with 99 domestic offences across different states related to fraud and deception.

The court heard Azzopardi committed these recent offences of lying to authorities only weeks after she was released from a two year jail sentence in Victoria for kidnapping two children in 2019.

Her lawyer said Samantha Azzopardi has been under virtual house arrest since being charged. Picture: Simon Bullard

Magistrate Mark Douglass told the court Azzopardi’s “serious” false claims had resulted in wasted police time which could have been spent on important issues.

“They are allegations that … can involve a serious waste of resources to a point where others in need are neglected or placed on the end of the queue and not having their matters dealt with in a timely manner,” he said.

“Police and other resources are finite and in my view, must not be deliberately wasted, particularly with incorrect allegations.”

Magistrate Douglass told the court he accepted Azzopardi suffers from depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder. However, he remarked she had been diagnosed with these illnesses years ago without seeking treatment.

“There have been a number of diagnoses for the applicant and there have been a number of years since the diagnosis and yet she still continues to commit these offences,” he said.

The magistrate noted her “extensive criminal history” across several jurisdictions and said the offences Azzopardi has committed have consistently been “very serious”.

Samantha Azzopardi was represented in court by her lawyer Carolyn Shiels. Picture: Simon Bullard

Magistrate Douglass refused the application to dismiss the charges on the grounds of her mental health, telling the court it would result in “a lack of accountability” and the court could not have faith that Azzopardi’s good behaviour breaches would be reported.

“Diversion is not robust enough to protect the community from further offence, given the consistent offending and the nature and seriousness of the offending,” he said.

“In my view her complex condition and personality traits need to be managed with vigour.”

Magistrate Douglass ordered a sentencing assessment report for Azzopardi, stating that she had provided different stories to the authors of the reports tendered to the court.

He said she had told one expert she had a child, while categorically denying it to another. The same was true of childhood sexual abuse, which she told one author she’d experienced but completely dismissed to another.

Samantha Azzopardi has been media shy since her offending in Ireland made international headlines. Picture: Simon Bullard

Magistrate Douglass said he hoped a sentencing assessment report would provide a clearer understanding of Azzopardi’s history and motivations.

Azzopardi will remain on bail until she returns to court in May.

She was released on bail in late December after 20 days in custody and given extremely strict bail conditions, which include not accessing a computer or using the internet on her phone.