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Episode 150: How 'GPO girl' Samantha Azzopardi’s days posing as teen could be numbered

Dubbed 'GPO girl', Samantha Azzopardi sparked a major Garda investigation in 2013 when she posed as a vulnerable young teen who’d lost the power of speech.

The 'GPO Girl' Samantha Azzopardi

Samantha Azzopardi

Nicola TallantSunday World

It was a story that read like the start of a true crime bestseller – a teenage girl is found wandering on Dublin’s O’Connell Street, a team of experts are brought together to discover who she is and pencil drawings depict a cruel sex trafficking ring.

Dubbed 'GPO girl', Samantha Azzopardi sparked a major Garda investigation in 2013 when she posed as a vulnerable young teen who’d lost the power of speech.

Instead she was a troubled 25 year old Australian con artist who had a history of posing as a victim of crime.

But what happened Azzopardi after her unwelcome brush with fame in Dublin and why is she back before a court in Australia on her 100th charge related to fraud.

Today I’m talking with Sunday Independent journalist Ali Bracken about the extraordinary story of GPO girl and how her days posing as a teenager could be numbered thanks to the power of television.

Crime Word Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

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