Fake au pair Samantha Azzopardi admits to three counts of child stealing

Fake au pair Samantha Azzopardi admitted to posing as a “talent scout” to help a Melbourne couple’s daughter land a role on Australian TV.

A faux au pair has admitted to three counts of child stealing in a bizarre ruse which saw her employ fake aliases to dupe multiple families, including a basketball star and his wife.

Samantha Azzopardi, 32, fronted the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Monday where she formally pleaded guilty to three counts of child stealing, obtain property by deception and theft.

Azzopardi was arrested at a Myer store in Bendigo in November 2019 where she was found with a 10-month-old and a four-year-old girl.

The children were returned to their parents and Azzopardi was charged with two counts of child stealing.

Azzopardi had earlier been hired as a live-in nanny named “Harper Hernandez” by basketball star Tom Jervis and his wife Jazze in June 2018.

Samantha Azzopardi allegedly adopted various identities

Azzopardi earned $6500 as a fake nanny before she was eventually fired by the family in mid-June 2019 after Ms Jervis grew suspicious of the woman living in their home.

Azzopardi also admitted to a third count of child stealing in which she posed as a “talent scout” and promised to help a Melbourne couple’s daughter land a role on the Australian version of the hit US TV show ‘Punk’d’.

A summary released by the court detailed how Azzopardi convinced the parents to allow their child to travel with her to Sydney for an audition in April 2019.

During the bizarre con, Azzopardi instructed the girl to go into a Centrelink office and “was instructed to write on a piece of paper that she was seeing ghosts”, the summary states.

Azzopardi had been hired as a live-in nanny named “Harper Hernandez” by basketball star Tom Jervis and his wife Jazze. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Mel Bevege (left) says she was duped by serial conwoman Samantha Azzopardi. Picture Jack Bussell

Months later on October 31, 2019 after purporting to be an “excellent” au pair to another family, Azzopardi asked the parents of the two young girls permission to take them on a “picnic”.

Azzopardi was recognised by staff at Bendigo mental health clinic the next day who had seen requests for assistance to track her down on social media.

When detectives approached the con woman, she still had the 10-month-old baby strapped to her chest.

Azzopardi was arrested and has been in custody since - about 570 days.

Lawyers for Azzopardi on Monday applied for the case to remain the magistrates’ court where maximum penalties are lower.

She was initially charged with 55 offences.

The matter will return to court on Wednesday.