Con Mum's Dionne's life now is just as messy as in the documentary

Those who found themselves gripped by the heartbreaking Netflix documentary, Con Mum, will know it details the tragic tale of Graham Hornigold, a renowned British pastry chef, whose life is turned upside down when he is contacted by a woman claiming to be his estranged biological mother.

After more than 40 years of wondering who she might be or if he’d ever meet her, Graham finds himself reconnecting with Dionne, an enigmatic figure who gains his trust with charisma and poignant details about his past, during the pandemic. Initially, Graham and his partner, Heather, welcome her with open arms.

However, the reunion quickly spirals into deceit as Dionne exploits their relationship, fabricating terminal illness claims and amassing luxury expenses at Graham’s expense – causing issues in his relationship with fellow pastry chef, Heather Kaniuk and their son. Ultimately, Dionne leaves Graham and his family with crippling debt and emotional scars, causing Graham and Heather to split.

con mum graham with a woman who looks like dionne draped over his shoulder

Netflix

The film highlights Dionne’s manipulative tactics – which, it turns out, aren’t just limited to her long lost son and his associates: she appears to have multiple victims around the world – and how the innate human desire for connection can blind us to fraud.

Despite her actions, Dionne was never convicted due to her familial connection to Graham (a rule which needs a whole documentary in and of itself tbh), however since the show aired she has been charged with five counts of fraud in connection to allegations made by three men in Singapore.

Here’s where Dionne is now and the rundown of what she cruelly did to her son, Graham.

What did Dionne do to Graham in Con Mum?

In Con Mum, the Netflix documentary, Graham explains that he grew up not knowing his biological mother, who he hasn’t seen since he was a baby. During the pandemic, while locked down with his partner, Heather, he receives an email from a woman named Dionne who claims to be his long-lost biological mother. Initially, the situation seems super positive.

After meeting in a Liverpool hotel, Graham and Dionne’s emotional reunion is quickly tainted with sadness and a whole tonne of other emotions, as Dionne says she is struggling with a terminal illness that means she has just months left to live. She also reveals that she’s immensely wealthy, with businesses all over the world, and promises that upon her death everything would be passed on to Graham, making him a multi-millionaire.

graham sat at a bar holding his phone talking about being conned by his mum dionne

Netflix

Over time, Dionne convinces Graham to fund her extravagant expenses, claiming him fronting the money for her hotel stays and champagne lifestyle would just be temporary, as she was struggling to access her bank account because of the pandemic. Dionne even ‘gifted’ Graham and Heather with boujee cars, all the while deceptively saddling him with the payments. She also orchestrated delays with alleged legal arrangements for her “inheritance,” leaving Graham to foot escalating bills. At one point, Dionne’s lies went so far as to fake symptoms of her so-called cancer diagnosis, with Graham saying in the documentary he uncovered a bottle of red food colouring to imitate loss of blood.

Ultimately with the help of friends and Heather, Graham uncovered Dionne’s scam, realising her intentions were solely exploitative. All in, Dionne’s elaborate con left Graham with around £300,000 ($387,228) of debt and the stress caused irreparable damage within his relationship with his partner, Heather.

It also later transpires, after Heather researches, that Dionne previously pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining money and jewellery by deception, after presenting herself as a rich woman and luring people in under false pretences – more than three decades before reuniting with Graham.

Where is Dionne from Con Mum now?

Dionne Hornigold is now 84-years-old and initially remained out of the public eye following the events depicted in the documentary. Viewers are however shown her and Graham’s final phone call, in which she claims to be in Malaysia (and sounds as chaotic as ever).

While Dionne has not faced any criminal charges in connection to the allegations that Graham in particular levelled against her the documentary – due to their familial ties disqualifying her activities from being seen as fraud in the eyes of the law – new reports say Dionne has now since been charged with five counts of fraud in Singapore.

It’s said that others claiming to be duped by Dionne watched Con Mum and reported her to the Singaporean authorities and if found guilty, she could be given a 20-year sentence and hit with a huge fine.

The BBC writes that Dionne appeared via video for a court appearance on Saturday 5 April and appeared to be lying in a hospital bed.

Three men allege that Dionne duped them into transferring over large sums of money by spinning a similar yarn to the one she told Graham – that she was the illegitimate child of the Sultan of Brunei and would repay the cash quickly, and that it would be used for legal fees or to open a new bank account. The charges against Dionne also include allegations that she again lied about being terminally ill.

It is not known exactly how much money her victims in Singapore are claiming to have lost, but Singapore officials have reportedly said early investigations estimate the figure to be around S$200,000 ($149,000; £115,400).

Dionne declined to participate in the Con Mum documentary. However, towards the end of the film, she expresses love for her son Graham during a call and offers some form of apology, but adds “I’ve done what I’ve done, I cannot change son”.

By this point, Graham is unable to accept her words and in his eyes, the call is too little too late – and the emotional and financial damage Dionne inflicted was far too great.

Con Mum’s Dionne’s life now is just as messy as in the documentary

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