A woman charged with child stealing is accused of posing as an au pair, a nurse and a talent scout.
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Samantha Azzopardi was accused of fraudulently taking three children between December 2018 and November 2019, when she was arrested in Bendigo.
The 31-year-old appeared at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Monday.
Her lawyers asked for permission to question three of her alleged victims - two parents and a child - in court about the accused fraudster's identity.
But magistrate Donna Bakos knocked back the request and queried the grounds on which Azzopardi planned to defend the allegations.
"It's not good enough to say she disagrees with evidence. It's not good enough to say she wants to plead not guilty," the magistrate said.
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The 54 charges against Ms Azzopardi include allegations she forged documents to pass herself off as a qualified au pair named Harper Hernandez, dishonestly obtaining $6500 over six months.
The court was told she had targeted three families using different names and various pretences.
At one point, she allegedly pretended to be a talent scout.
Azzopardi is also accused of pretending to be a nurse named Sakah to dishonestly obtain a uniform from Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar School at Essendon in October 2019.
The matter is due back in court on July 13.
- AAP