Melbourne catfisher found guilty of stalking after impersonating home and away star Lincoln Lewis
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Inside Home and Away catfisher’s ‘pathological’ web of lies – as the ‘deep in character’ trick she used to pose as Lincoln Lewis and a British star are revealed
- Lydia Abdelmalek, 32, was sentenced to two years and eight months for stalking
- Abdelmalek impersonated Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis to stalk victims
- Prosecutors said Abedelmalek lied to psychologists while preparing her appeal
- Victims have urged judge to use appeal to increase sentence
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A woman who impersonated TV stars to attract victims online before stalking them is a pathological liar who continues to deny her crimes to psychologists, a court has heard.
Lydia Abdelmalek, 32, was found guilty of six charges of stalking in 2019 and was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
She impersonated Home and Away heartthrob Lincoln Lewis and other aliases, including British actor Danny Mac, to stalk various victims for about four years starting in May 2011.
Lydia Abdelmalek, 32, (pictured) is appealing her two-year, eight-month sentence after she was found guilty of six charges of stalking
Abdelmalek was released on bail after appealing her conviction, but the conviction was upheld in May and she was taken back into custody.
She has now appealed her sentence and appeared via video link from custody in Melbourne’s County County on Tuesday.
Victims have called on Judge Claire Quin to use the appeal to increase Abdelmalek’s sentence to deter others from committing similar crimes.
Prosecutor Angela Moran said Abdelmalek was a “pathological liar” who lied to psychologists preparing for her profession.
“Anything the applicant says should be taken with a large grain of salt, because she is a serious liar,” Ms Moran told the court.
“She lived a lie during this insult, deep in characters, deep in complexity.”
Abdelmalek posed as former Home and Away heartthrob Lincoln Lewis (pictured) to stalk various victims for about four years from May 2011
Abdelmalek maintained her innocence when she spoke to psychologists because she could not remember committing many of the crimes, Ms Moran said.
“Despite having no real memory of the index crimes, she respected the judges’ expert opinion and this was one of the reasons she wondered whether she was really guilty or not,” she said.
Abdelmalek’s lawyer, Timothy Sullivan, said his client was in denial of her offense and argued that Ms Moran’s comments were inflammatory.
“In fact, the power of the subconscious is that it is in denial,” he said.
He said Abdelmalek’s diabetes, time away from her parents and being held in pre-trial detention would make her time in prison more difficult.
Judge Quin will sentence Abdelmalek on October 25.
Abdelmalek other aliases, including British actor Danny Mac (pictured). The 32-year-old maintains her innocence and is due to appear in court next month for a new conviction