A woman charged with kidnapping an elderly woman is preparing to argue she did not know she was not allowed to take her, and the victim did not protest. Irene Moschones, of Cheltenham, was charged in January after she took Dimitra Pavlopoulou, 91, from her aged-care facility in Clarinda. The Melbourne Magistrates’ court heard today that Ms Moschones was delusional at the time and believed Ms Pavlopoulou was her mother, who died in 2003. Magistrate Charlie Rozencwajg today questioned why the case was being contested, noting a defence of mental impairment was possible. But defence lawyer Nick Tehan said Ms Mochones would contest the charges because it was not clear if Ms Pavlopoulou’s “liberty was in fact deprived” or whether his client had intended to kidnap her. In January, police said Ms Moschones refused to believe her mother was dead, asking lawyers to dig up her body and have her corpse’s DNA tested. The matter returns to court later in the year.
