Catfish victims speak at sentence appeal

She was found guilty of six stalking charges more than three years ago, but was released on bail during an attempt to appeal her conviction.

Victoria's County Court upheld Abdelmalek's guilty verdict in June and she was taken back into custody.

One of her victims, who cannot be named, pleaded for the court to use Abdelmalek's appeal of her two-year and eight-month prison sentence to "send a message" about the seriousness of her crimes. 

"We should not create a culture that suggests that this behaviour or any other form of online abuse is acceptable," she told the court on Tuesday.

"The consequences of the appellant's actions must be severe enough that they serve as a deterrent, not only for them, but for any others contemplating this type of assault."

The woman, who referred to her stalker as "it", said she was "back to living in fear" after Abdelmalek launched legal challenges to her conviction and sentence.

"If it had taken accountability and shown even the slightest bit of remorse, we could have moved forward a long time ago," she said.

"Instead, it has argued, lied and forced us to relive the humiliation as the most personal of details were shared amongst many other strangers.

"Someone who laughs in the face of the court and refuses to accept responsibility for their actions does not deserve a mitigated sentence."

The father of a woman who took her own life after being subjected to what he labelled a "masterclass in cyberbullying and stalking" by Abdelmalek read an emotional statement to the court.

"This has left me with an unbearable loss, an unimaginable heartache, like two dark clouds hovering overhead, threatening to dim whatever sunshine comes my way in the remaining days of my life," he said.

"While I don't hold any person responsible for my daughter's death, [she] did say to the family that Lydia had ruined her life."

The appeal before Judge Clair Quin continues.

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