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Mystery Australian in Dublin ‘has 40 different aliases’

Irish police have confirmed that a young woman at the centre of a major public appeal is an Australian citizen.

The woman was found a month ago in a distressed state wandering the streets of Dublin.

Irish media is now reporting she is a student and that her parents are travelling from Australia. There is still no official confirmation of the young woman’s age, but it is thought she is not a teenager as initially suggested.

Local authorities are liaising with the Australian Federal Police on the case.

The Irish Independent is reporting that the woman’s name is 25-year-old Samantha Azzopardi and that she is from Queensland, and had previously come into contact with Australian authorities.

Further reports allege the woman has up to 40 different aliases and was previously convicted in Australia for illegally trying to access social welfare benefits payments.

It had been feared the woman may have been a victim but it’s now been revealed she was visiting relatives before being discovered on a Dublin street in a distressed state a month ago.

It was initially thought the girl was a European teenager but after a photograph of her was released worldwide Irish police discovered the woman was an Australian citizen.

“We can now confirm that the lady was not trafficked here and had in fact travelled here some months ago,” a senior police officer said according to the Irish Independent newspaper.

A High Court judge on Wednesday ruled an initial care order imposed when it was believed the woman was a minor should be lifted but not before Thursday morning (Thursday night AEDT).

The delay was secured to give medics a chance to further assess her condition.

A lawyer for the woman’s court-appointed guardian told the court: “If the consequences of today is that door is open and this vulnerable person walks out on the street we could have a life at risk.”

Contact between authorities in Ireland and Australia have also indicated the woman has a history of psychiatric issues.

Various media outlets, including the Irish Independent, have named the woman as Samantha.

Irish police are yet to confirm her full name.

However, a spokesman told AAP at present the Gardai are not looking for any more information. He said the police weren’t planning on making further public comment. It’s been reported her family will now travel to Ireland from Australia.

A breakthrough in finding the woman’s identity came less than 10 hours after her photograph was released.

“She’s an Australian national and has lived there at a number of addresses,” Sergeant David Gallagher told the court on Wednesday.

The unprecedented step to release the picture was given the go-ahead after Irish police went to court last week and explained several weeks of investigation and 115 separate lines of inquiry turned up no leads.

Officers had been unable to get any substantive information from the woman over a period of weeks and she communicated on a number of occasions by drawing.

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