Singapore Court Adds 34 Fraud Charges Against British Woman from Netflix Documentary

Apr 24, 2026, 09:04

Introduction

Dionne Marie Hanna, an 85-year-old British woman who appeared in the Netflix documentary ''Con Mum'', has been given 34 additional charges in a Singapore court. This brings the total number of charges against her to 39. The new charges, filed on April 24, 2025, are related to allegations of cheating and fraud by false representation, and involve more alleged victims.

Main Body

Hanna was first charged in March 2025 with five counts of fraud by false representation, after her arrest following the documentary''s release. The documentary showed her reunion with her long-estranged son, London-based pastry chef Graham Hornigold. According to the documentary, she allegedly tricked him into giving her financial support. A DNA test confirmed they were biologically related. The new charge sheets, as reported by local media, claim that Hanna used a consistent method: she presented herself as a wealthy, terminally ill descendant of the Bruneian royal family who planned to give her inheritance to the victims. The number of alleged victims has now increased from three to 14. The total amount of money involved in the charges is reported to be more than S$800,000 (about US$625,700). Specific allegations include that Hanna persuaded one man to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses for her by promising to make him her stepson and invest in his company. In another case, she allegedly told a woman she would buy luxury items for her—including a Lexus, an Aston Martin, and a property in Sentosa Cove—in exchange for ''processing fees''. Additional charges claim that Hanna asked for smaller amounts, such as S$3,000 for distributing briyani at a mosque and S$2,000 for donations to the blind. Court documents also state that Hanna said she would use funds to donate S$3 million to Masjid Khalid and S$2 million to Mawar Community Services, a non-profit organization. Hanna has been held in custody since her arrest and has not entered a plea. She is represented by lawyers from Pro Bono SG. Her case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference in May 2025.

Conclusion

Dionne Marie Hanna now faces 39 charges in Singapore for alleged cheating and fraud by false representation. The number of alleged victims has grown to 14. The case is moving toward a pre-trial conference in May. If found guilty, the penalties for fraud charges could include imprisonment of up to 20 years.

Vocabulary Learning

alleged victims
People who are claimed to have been harmed by a crime, but the claim has not yet been proven in court.聲稱的受害者，指被指稱受到犯罪傷害但尚未經法庭證實的人。
Example:The number of alleged victims has now increased from three to 14.
charges
Formal accusations of a crime, typically brought by a prosecutor.正式指控，通常由檢察官提出。
Example:The new charges, filed on April 24, 2025, are related to allegations of cheating and fraud.
fraud by false representation
A type of fraud where someone intentionally deceives another person by making false statements to gain an advantage.虛假陳述詐騙，指某人故意作出虛假陳述以欺騙他人從中獲利。
Example:Hanna was first charged in March 2025 with five counts of fraud by false representation.
held in custody
Detained by authorities, usually in prison or police custody, while awaiting trial.被拘留，通常指在審判前被當局關押在監獄或警局。
Example:Hanna has been held in custody since her arrest and has not entered a plea.
pre-trial conference
A meeting between the judge, prosecutors, and defense lawyers before a trial to discuss procedural matters.審前會議，指審判前法官、檢察官和辯護律師討論程序事項的會議。
Example:Her case is scheduled for a pre-trial conference in May 2025.

Sentence Learning

Dionne Marie Hanna, an 85-year-old British woman who appeared in the Netflix documentary ''Con Mum'', has been given 34 additional charges in a Singapore court.
This sentence uses a relative clause ('who appeared...') to give extra information about the subject, and the passive voice ('has been given') to focus on the action rather than the doer.這個句子使用了關係從句（「who appeared...」）來補充主語的資訊，並用被動語態（「has been given」）來強調動作本身而非執行者。
The new charges, filed on April 24, 2025, are related to allegations of cheating and fraud by false representation, and involve more alleged victims.
The phrase 'filed on April 24, 2025' is a reduced relative clause (passive participle) that adds a time detail, and the linking word 'and' connects two related ideas.「filed on April 24, 2025」是省略的關係從句（被動分詞），補充時間細節，而連接詞「and」連接兩個相關的概念。
According to the documentary, she allegedly tricked him into giving her financial support.
The phrase 'According to the documentary' introduces the source of information, and 'allegedly' softens the claim to show it is not proven.「According to the documentary」引出資訊來源，而「allegedly」淡化陳述，表示未經證實。
The total amount of money involved in the charges is reported to be more than S$800,000 (about US$625,700).
The passive structure 'is reported to be' is used for formal reporting, and the participle 'involved' acts as a reduced relative clause describing the money.被動結構「is reported to be」用於正式報導，分詞「involved」作為省略的關係從句，修飾金錢。
If found guilty, the penalties for fraud charges could include imprisonment of up to 20 years.
The conditional clause 'If found guilty' is a reduced passive form (instead of 'If she is found guilty'), and 'could include' expresses possibility.條件從句「If found guilty」是省略的被動形式（代替「If she is found guilty」），而「could include」表達可能性。