Fake au pair accused of stealing four kids in Victoria
A woman has been accused of pretending to be an au pair to steal people’s children in Victoria.
Samantha Azzopardi has been slapped with a child stealing charge after it was alleged she stole three children between December 2018 and November 2019.
The 31-year-old has since been charged with a fourth child stealing offence from July last year, documents released by Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday show.
54 charges have been laid against Azzopardi, including forged documents to pass herself off as an experienced and qualified au pair by the name of Harper Hernandez.
Samantha Azzopardi
It is alleged she dishonestly obtained $6,500 over six months.
The court was told she had targeted three families using different names and various pretences.
At one point, she allegedly pretended to be a talent scout.
Azzopardi has also been charged with allegedly faking being a nurse named Sakah to obtain a uniform from Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School at Essendon in October 2019.
Magistrate Donna Bakos has denied a request from Azzopardi’s lawyers who asked to question three of her alleged victims - two parents and a child - about the fraudster's alleged identity.
“It's not good enough to say she disagrees with evidence. It's not good enough to say she wants to plead not guilty,” the magistrate said.
Azzopardi's case is due back in court for a further committal mention on July 13.