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MELBOURNE - A woman who extorted more than A$126,000 from relatives in a scheme involving fictitious bikies and an imaginary police detective had a condition compelling her to create fantasies and act them out, a Victorian court has heard.
Debra Lee Bassani, 39, of Frankston, has pleaded guilty in the County Court in Melbourne to five counts of stalking, one of blackmail, and three of obtaining money by deception.
Prosecutor David Bliss told the court that Bassani had carried out an elaborate plan over 12 months which left members of her family living in fear.
Bassani told her de facto husband Allan Mariner and his two brothers, Andrew and Jeff Mariner, that a bikie gang was after their family over a soured rental agreement on a house belonging to the three men, the court heard.
She falsely claimed her father Ron Bassani was a police detective, known as "Fat Boy Slim", who could keep them safe as long as Andrew Mariner regularly paid him protection money, totalling $126,180.
Bassani pocketed the money after it was left under motel mats by Mr Mariner.
Her father Ron knew nothing about her plot, the court heard.
The family, including Bassani, lived in fear and on the run in cabins and caravan parks around Victoria during the extortion plot which ran from January last year until February this year.
The court heard Bassani sent text messages to family members in the name of Ron, telling them when to move, sometimes several times a night.
"This clearly had an effect on the family 24 hours a day," Mr Bliss said.
"They were always waiting for the SMS to tell them when to move.
"It simply took over their lives."
Her lawyer, David McKenzie, told the court his client suffered from a condition that led to her creating fantasies and then acting them out.
"This lady suffers from a condition known as mythomania," Mr McKenzie told the court.
"It is a disorder which makes it an order that she tell and creates fantastic stories," he said.
"It has been in her maternal family: her grandmother had the disorder."
"She (Bassani) describes it as addictive. She has no control over it."
Judge Susan Pullen, who ordered that Bassani undergo another psychiatric assessment before she would consider sentencing, asked Mr McKenzie if the practitioners who had examined her prior to Tuesday's court appearance knew the full details of her offending.
"Did these medical people have this information, because it is so unusual?" Judge Pullen asked.
"It involved the moving (of the families) in the middle of the night. Hiding their cars under wraps. Hiding under the house."
Judge Pullen granted an extension of Bassani's bail conditions until her next court appearance for a further plea hearing on January 25 next year.
- AAP
