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Netflix's new true crime documentary Con Mum is scheduled to release globally on March 25, 2025. It follows the true events surrounding the scam that made chef Graham Hornigold's life miserable. Through interviews, re-enactments, and commentary, the film exposes how Dionne manipulated Graham and other victims.
The film explores how a woman named Dionne, under the pretense of being his mother, enters Graham Hornigold's life after reaching out to him via email. Blinded by the thought that he has been reunited with her, Graham blindly succumbs to the scam that she entraps him with.
Con Mum has a runtime of 1 hour and 28 minutes as per the official site. Available exclusively on Netflix, the audience will require a membership plan to view the documentary.
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Dionne's confidence fraud as explored in Netflix's Con Mum
As per the true crime documentary Con Mum, the scam begins with Graham receiving an email from Dionne in July 2020. In the email, she explains that she is his birth mother and wants to be reunited. Although Graham is initially suspicious of her, he starts believing her when she answers a series of questions correctly. He immediately meets up with her and starts involving her in his life.
Graham, born on an army base in Germany, never knew his mother as his father took him to the UK after birth. Dionne, claiming to be his wealthy, dying mother, manipulates his emotions to exploit him financially. He funds her luxury travel, hotels, and fine dining, believing he will inherit her fortune. The documentary delivers a shocking twist—Dionne is actually his real birth mother.
The Fallout: Emotional and financial damage
As explained by Graham in Con Mum, he was devastated both financially and emotionally after the ordeals he faced in this scam.
As per the London Evening Standard, a famous British news outlet, Graham drew up a debt of 300,000 pounds to meet Dionne's needs. The documentary includes testimonies of other victims too. An entrepreneurial couple had invested their wealth with her as she promised them millions of pounds in return. Another Chinese businessman spent thousands of euros on her.
She kept Graham away from his newborn child and wife for months in Zurich, denying him time with his newborn. This too caused a lot of friction in his marriage, along with her constant moody behavior around his wife. She would fake her health condition by faking blood in her urine at times to make him continue spending his money and time on her.
Now left with the fact that he got scammed by his birth mother, the emotional damage done to him can't be measured on any scale. Graham ultimately has cut off all ties to her as he still processes the horror of what he has faced.
Who is chef Graham Hornigold?
Graham Hornigold is a well-known UK pastry chef and co-founder of Long Boys, a premium doughnut and coffee chain. He has also worked in prominent positions at Michelin-star restaurants and five-star hotels. Renowned for his innovative work as a pastry chef, Graham has also appeared as a judge on the competitive cooking show Masterchef: The Professionals.
How Con Mum fits into true crime genre
Con Mum shares thematic similarities with other Netflix documentaries like The Puppet Master and The Tinder Swindler. The story is based on a woman exploiting someone's emotion for their mother. Her betrayal leaves a deep wound in Graham's life, as he grew up not knowing or meeting his mother.
The film combines the in-depth interview of Graham, analysis from fraud specialists, dramatic reenactments, and testimony from other victims as well. The documentary raises questions on identity fraud, emotional vulnerability, and how modern con artists heavily exploit the need for personal connection.
Dionne not only damaged him financially but emotionally as well. Ultimately, Graham is able to discover her scam, but he pays a heavy price for the knowledge.
Con Mum releases on Netflix on March 25, 2025, and available for viewers globally.
