Twist in case of catfish stalker who drove a woman to suicide after convincing her she was Lincoln Lewis - as the Home and Away heart-throb is called to give evidence

Lydia Abdelmalek convinced women she was Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis
She was convicted on six counts of stalking and sentenced to two years jail
One of her victims took her own life in the wake of the entire ordeal
Overworked e-crime police have delayed her appeal for months on end
The appeal will rely on six new statements from her alleged victims
Abdelmalek had remained free in the community on appeal bail

By Wayne Flower, Melbourne Correspondent

Published: 07:52 BST, 7 July 2021 | Updated: 09:08 BST, 7 July 2021

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Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis is expected to give evidence against the stalker who drove a young woman to suicide while pretending to be him.

Melbourne woman Lydia Abdelmalek, 29, was sentenced in June 2019 to a two-year, eight-month prison term for six counts of stalking, employing what one victim called 'sick mind games', impersonating the soap star.

Abdelmalek was bailed almost immediately as she flagged an appeal and is in the process of undergoing pre-trial hearings in the County Court of Victoria.

The former Home and Away (pictured) star explained how powerless the catfishing left him, telling the court at an earlier appearance he felt powerless

Lydia Abdelmalek (right), and her father leave the County Court of Victoria last year

She was released with a $10,000 surety and directed to comply with strict social media restrictions.

So callous had Abdelmalek been during her original trial, she held an A4-sized photo of Lewis as her victims read out their impact statements.

Daily Mail Australia has been told by entertainment industry sources Lewis will be called to give evidence should the matter progress to a full appeal hearing.

At present, lawyers are arguing whether a swag of new evidence can be used against her during her judge-only appeal.

Lewis has made no secret of his disgust at being used by the cruel scammer to torment her victims.

'Having your number, address, personal details illegally obtained & photos doctored was scary,' he said at the time.

'Having them used to catfish people is sickening. But nothing can give back or make right what this sick person did and took away from the victims.'

The Home and Away star said it was ‘scary’ that his details had been used by Abdelmalek who posed as him to communicate with women online.

He also urged people to 'know who you or they [kids] are talking to online'.

'For everyone, but especially for those with kids, KNOW who you or they are talking to online,' he stated in a post on Instagram before Abdelmalek was sentenced.

'BE ABSOLUTELY SURE of it! Social media can be great but also a scary place as there are sick twisted people out there. Be safe.'

Home and Away star Lincoln Lewis is expected to be called to court to give evidence against a cruel catfisher

The hunter becomes the hunted: Lydia Abdelmalek leaves court in February last year with her barrister as reporters hit her with a barrage of questions

Tight lipped: Lydia Abdelmalek had nothing to say as she tried to escape a media pack that chased her and her father along Lonsdale Street outside the County Court of Victoria in February last year

Lydia Abdelmalek has remained free in the community on appeal bail

Since her release on appeal bail, Abdelmalek has been accused of attempting to bust up a married man's relationship after becoming infatuated with him.

She spent a short stint in jail after being locked up on April 22 amid fresh allegations she was again tormenting strangers.

Abdelmalek faces a substantially longer term in jail should she be convicted again of her catfishing scam.

It is understood the vile scammer will weigh-up her options on continuing with the appeal against her conviction at the conclusion of the pre-trial argument, which could drag on for at least another week.

Her appeal is expected to take anywhere up to six weeks when it eventually gets underway.

The case has been significantly delayed to allow police to obtain the contents of Abdelmalek's computer.

Police had previously said they believed the information contained on it would 'clarify and support' additional evidence that may elevate the seriousness of the charges and potentially identify other targets of Abdelmalek's cruel deception.

Abdelmalek had pretended to be Lewis and used other aliases to stalk seven people for about four years from May 2011.

One of Abdelmalek's victims took her own life, but wrote a statement beforehand outlining the trauma of being duped into believing the TV star was in love with her.

Soap star Lincoln Lewis explained how powerless the catfishing left him, telling the court at an earlier appearance he felt powerless

One of Abdelmalek's (pictured) victims took her own life last year, but wrote a statement beforehand outlining the trauma of being duped into believing the TV star was in love with her

The woman said she felt tortured for the 'sick fascination, perverse pleasure and unhealthy satisfaction' of her tormentor.

Another victim said she had turned from the life of the party to a recluse after what the sentencing magistrate described as 'calculated and cruel' offending.

Abdelmalek went as far as sending explicit images of the woman and vulgar messages to her father, mother, sister and brother-in-law.

Another woman, who was similarly scammed by the Lewis alias, said the 'sick mind games' turned her from the life of the party to a recluse.

The former Home and Away star has explained how powerless the catfishing left him, telling the court at an earlier appearance he felt powerless.

'It kills your vibe, it ruins your day. It makes you feel powerless and it makes you feel s**t,' he said.

'It just takes away your happiness because now I’ve got this constant thought in my mind that something’s happening that I’m powerless to stop or even find out.'

Lewis found out about the catfishing scam when one of the two victims got in touch.

He had known her from primary school, A Current Affair reported.

'She said "Linc, I’ve thought for the last couple of months that you and I have been dating",' Lewis told the court about his 2011 conversation.

'My first reaction is, "How could you think that? How could you think that we’re dating when we haven’t seen each other in years?",' he said.

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