The investigation into a woman suspected of posing as a Home and Away actor to lure women into relationships has been labelled “flawed, colluded, and distorted,” according to the lady.
Lydia Abdelmalek has filed an appeal after being sentenced to two years and eight months in prison in 2019 for six counts of stalking.
She was found guilty of impersonating Australian soap star Lincoln Lewis in order to deceive women into believing they were in relationships, but the 31-year-old promptly appealed.
Her appeal is still pending before Victoria’s County Court, where she was virtually clad in a black Puma sweater.
Tim Sullivan, an attorney, questioned the case’s lead detective about the phone numbers police allege were used to stalk the ladies involved.
On Wednesday, Mr Sullivan told the court, “I’m claiming the inquiry is defective, collusive, and prejudiced.”
He also claimed that part of the information on one of Ms Abdelmalek’s phones, including contacts, was not put there by his client.
Mr Sullivan stated, “The claimed damning data was not put on the iPhone 6 by Lydia Abdelmalek.”
Detective Senior Constable Kellie Moore, on the other hand, said she couldn’t comment on how the information on the phone got to be there.
She stated, “It was there when I got the phone.”
The lawyer explained to the officer that his client’s WhatsApp communications ended up on the phone after he was caught and detained because of a “sync” with the phone from a laptop.
Constable Moore was asked by Judge Claire Quin if she put the texts on the phone.
“No, I did not do anything,” the detective stated, adding that no one else was involved.
A SIM card with a number that was once registered under the name of Lincoln Lewis was discovered in Ms Abdelmalek’s residence during a police raid in April 2021, according to the court.
However, the court was informed that this occurred after the initial court case in 2019.
Earlier hearings featured testimony from Lewis and friends of the alleged victims about the alleged stalking, as well as hours of recorded police interviews with Ms Abdelmalek.
When asked about Instagram accounts, phone numbers, and specific emails, the Melbourne woman began to giggle.
When questioned why she laughed, she answered, “I think I don’t know why I would create these emails.”
During the appeal, she was also asked about phones seized from her home and who they belonged to.
