GPO girl is back. Samantha Azzopardi in Canada....no, Australia!

A serial con artist who previously duped the Irish authorities into believing she was the victim of sex trafficking is now facing up to 10 years in jail in Australia for a similar fraud.

Samantha Azzopardi cost the Irish state more than €250,000 when she turned up outside the GPO in Dublin in October 2013. She didn't speak but produced a series of drawings suggesting that she had been raped.

Due to her young appearance detectives believed that the then 25-year-old was in her mid teens. Eventually gardaí secured High Court permission to release her photograph and a family member soon came forward to identify Azzopardi as a serial conwoman.

Now local media is reporting that Azzopardi has pulled a similar stunt in her native Australia.