British woman in Netflix documentary charged in Singapore

The British woman at the centre of a Netflix documentary on how she allegedly duped her son and left him in debt to fund her champagne-sipping lifestyle has been charged with fraud in Singapore.

Alleged victims of Dionne Marie Hanna, 84, filed police reports after watching Con Mum, local media report.

They accuse the Singapore resident of taking their money with the promise that they would be reimbursed through her inheritance from Brunei’s royal family.

The ploy is similar to the one she allegedly used against London pastry chef Graham Hornigold, after she contacted him in 2020, claiming to be his long-lost mother.

A DNA test later proved that Ms Hanna was indeed Mr Hornigold’s mother.

Ms Hanna, who was charged with five counts of fraud, appeared before a district court on Saturday via video link. She was seen lying on a hospital bed, accompanied by an investigating officer, Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia reported.

She is accused of deceiving three men in Singapore and France into transferring money to her accounts, claiming the funds were needed as legal fees and for the opening of new bank accounts.

Ms Hanna sought their sympathy by saying she was terminally ill and vouched to reimburse them through inheritance, claiming that she is part of the Brunei royal family. Her son questions these claims in the documentary.

In exchange for their money, she also made promises to donate millions of dollars to a mosque and a Muslim non-profit organisation in Singapore, the court heard.

It is unclear how much money her alleged victims lost, but Singapore police said preliminary investigations show she is involved in at least five cases of cheating with losses amounting to more than S$200,000 ($149,000; £115,400).

If convicted, Ms Hanna faces up to 20 years in jail and a fine.

Con Mum, which was released on Netflix on 25 March, follows Mr Hornigold’s reunion with Ms Hanna in the UK during the pandemic.

She presented herself as a wealthy, illegitimate daughter of the sultan of Brunei, initially showering Mr Hornigold, his then-partner Heather Kaniuk and his friends with lavish gifts, from cars to homes.

Though initially sceptical, Mr Hornigold, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants and founded Longboys Doughnuts, quickly developed a close relationship with his mother.

Over time however, Ms Hanna began to leave Mr Hornigold and his friends to foot her escalating bills – Mr Hornigold said in the film that he lost £300,000 – while she disappeared.

The film suggests that Ms Hanna had previously been convicted in the UK for shoplifting and fraud.