The woman at the centre of Netflix’s new U.K. documentary, "Con Mum", will appear in a Singapore court on 11 April in the next step of criminal proceedings against her on multiple charges of fraud.  

Dionne Marie Hanna, who represented herself at a State Court appearance on Saturday (5 April), was arrested in Singapore at the end of March after Netflix viewers recognised her and alerted local police. 

The 84-year-old Hanna, who at one point claimed to be a member of the Brunei Royal Family, is being charged in Singapore with fraud by false representation under Section 424A of the country’s Penal Code 1871. 

The offence carries an imprisonment term which may extend to 20 years, or a fine, or both.  

Hanna is said to have conned her long-lost son, British chef Graham Hornigold, into giving her about £300,000 in a lavish scheme that involved claims of terminal illness, promises of a multi-million euro inheritance, private Swiss banks, and international travel. 

Netflix describes the 88-minute docu-feature, which premiered in Singapore on 25 March, as the true story about a British chef whose “life is upended when a jet-setting, champagne-sipping, hotel-hopping woman claims to be his long-lost mother. This documentary reveals the untold story”. 

"Con Mum", which reveals that Hanna was born in Malaysia and spent time in prison in the U.K. for deception, was directed by Nick Green ("Putin: A Russian Spy Story"). 

The Singapore Police Force said on Friday (4 April) that it had received several reports since 28 March from “victims who were cheated by the woman through purported investment opportunities and inheritance entitlement”. 

The police notice said that “as part of the arrangement to receive monies for the investment and inheritance, the victims were asked to transfer money for legal fees and opening of overseas bank accounts. 

“The woman had allegedly promised the victims that they would be reimbursed through her inheritance. The victims believed that her investment and release of inheritance to be genuine and made several transfers to her.”

The notice said that the victims only realised they had been cheated after the Netflix documentary.

Follow-up investigations revealed that Hanna is believed to have been involved in at least five local cases with cheating losses exceeding S$200,000/US$148,000. 

Hanna’s arrest comes amid Singapore’s high-profile push against scams and scammers. In March, following a two-week operation, 165 men and 76 women between 16 and 75 years old were “assisting in investigations” related to  more than 900 cases of scams where victims reportedly lost more than S$8.2 million. The scams involved friend impersonation, investments, and impersonating government officials, among others. 

"Con Mum" was #6 on Netflix’s top 10 movies in Singapore for the week to 30 March.