Lincoln Lewis, who starred in the TV show Home and Away, is scheduled to testify against a stalker who pretended to be him and drove a young lady to death.
Lydia Abdelmalek, 29, of Melbourne, was convicted in June 2019 to a two-year, eight-month jail sentence for stalking six victims and imitating the soap star, which one victim described as “sick mind games.”
Abdelmalek was freed almost immediately after filing an appeal, and she is currently facing pre-trial hearings in Victoria’s County Court.
She was released after posting a $10,000 bond and agreeing to abide by severe social media rules.
Abdelmalek had been so heartless at her first trial that she clutched an A4-sized photo of Lewis as her victims read their impact statements.
Entertainment industry sources have told the Daily Mail Australia that if the case goes to a full appeal hearing, Lewis would be summoned to testify.
Lawyers are currently debating whether fresh evidence may be used against her in her judge-only appeal.
Lewis has made no secret of his displeasure about being exploited by the nasty con artist to torture her unsuspecting victims.
‘Having your phone number, address, and personal information unlawfully stolen, as well as photographs doctored,’ he stated at the time.
‘It’s terrible that they’re used to catfishing people.’ Nothing, however, can make up for what this terrible individual did and stole from the victims.’
The star of Home and Away claimed it was “frightening” that Abdelmalek, who posed as him to connect with women online, had exploited his information.
He also advised people to be aware of “who you or they [kids] are conversing with online.”
‘KNOW who you or your children are chatting to online,’ he said in an Instagram post before Abdelmalek was jailed.
‘MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING! Social media may be beneficial, but it can also be frightening since there are horrible, twisted individuals on there. ‘Be careful.’
Abdelmalek has been accused of attempting to break up a married man’s relationship after falling in love with him since her release on appeal bail.
She was arrested on April 22 and spent a few days in jail when new claims surfaced that she was harassing people.
If Abdelmalek gets convicted of her catfishing fraud again, she might face a far lengthier prison sentence.
At the conclusion of the pre-trial debate, which may stretch on for at least another week, the nasty fraudster is expected to evaluate her options for continuing her appeal against her conviction.
When it finally gets started, her appeal is anticipated to take up to six weeks.
The case has been postponed indefinitely to enable investigators access to Abdelmalek’s computer.
Police had earlier stated that the information on it will ‘clarify and corroborate’ further evidence that may increase the gravity of the accusations and possibly identify other victims of Abdelmalek’s cruel deceit.
From May 2011, Abdelmalek stalked seven persons under the guise of Lewis and various identities for nearly four years.
One of Abdelmalek’s victims committed herself, but not before writing a statement detailing the pain of being tricked into believing the TV celebrity loved her.
The lady said she was tortured by her tormentor’s “sick obsession, twisted delight, and pathological gratification.”
After what the sentencing court characterised as “planned and callous” wrongdoing, another victim stated she had gone from party girl to hermit.
Abdelmalek went so far as to email her father, mother, sister, and brother-in-law obscene photos and nasty texts.
Another lady who was duped by the Lewis identity described how the’sick mind games’ transformed her from a party animal to a hermit.
The former Home and Away actor has spoken out about how powerless he felt as a result of the catfishing, telling the court in a previous appearance that he felt powerless.
‘It destroys your mood and makes your day miserable.’ It makes you feel powerless and s**t,’ he explained.
‘It simply takes away your happiness because I now have this continual worry in my head that something is going on that I can’t stop or even find out about.’
When one of the two victims contacted Lewis, he learned about the catfishing scheme.
According to A Current Affair, he had known her since elementary school.
‘She said, ‘Linc, I’ve thought you and I have been dating for the last couple of months,” Lewis told the court of his 2011 discussion.
‘The first thing that comes to me is, “How could you possibly believe that? When we haven’t seen one other in years, how could you believe we’re dating? “
