Australian sex slave fraudster nabbed in Canada

Australian woman Samantha Azzopardi, who duped Irish authorities last year into thinking she was an Eastern European child sex slave, has allegedly attempted a similar story in Canada.

Azzopardi, 26, from Sydney, walked into a Calgary health centre on September 16 alleging she was a 14-year-old who was the victim of an abduction and prolonged sexual assault, Canadian authorities said on Monday.

Azzopardi, using the alias Aurora Hepburn, allegedly told investigators she'd endured years of violent sexual abuse and torture.

It was not until last Thursday that the Calgary Police Service was notified of a similar, world headline-making case investigated last year in Dublin.

After liaising with Irish authorities, it was determined the woman in Calgary was Azzopardi.

Azzopardi is charged with public mischief to mislead a peace officer and faces up to five years' jail.

Due to her multiple aliases, Calgary police have released a photo of Azzopardi in the hope the public can provide information about her movements in Calgary.

Irish authorities last year also took the rare step of releasing her photo after she was found wandering Dublin streets and led Irish police to believe that she was a teenage sex-trafficking victim.

Azzopardi drew pictures apparently showing herself being raped, forcing Irish police to release the photo of her in a bid to find her identity.

Azzopardi was subsequently sent back to Australia, where she had a history of fraud-related charges.

The Australian Federal Police declined to comment on the case, saying it was a matter for Canadian authorities.