The woman behind a GoFundMe page raising money for the prisoner who tortured Daniel Morcombe’s killer has denied it is a ‘scam’ following online criticism.
Susan Dingwall, 43, started a fundraising drive for prisoner Adam Paul Davidson after he admitted pouring boiling water on fellow inmate Brett Peter Cowan.
But Ms Dingwall has been slammed by GoFundMe users after she used a photo of the wrong person to illustrate her plea.
Susan Dingwall says her GoFundMe effort was not a scam – after commenters criticised her for using a picture of the wrong man
Ms Dingwall’s GoFundMe came under fire after she used this picture of a British tattoo artist unrelated to the case to show Adam Davidson
‘Don’t be fooled!’ Ms Dingwall’s fundraising efforts have been hit with a wave of criticism
‘Is this page just a complete rip off or what. The photo you have up is not Adam,’ fumed one apparent acquaintance of Davidson.
Another added: ‘This photo is not Adam Davidson? How and Why is it being used too look like him?’
A third said: ‘This is not Adam! Prisoners can not receive care packages…. Save your money.’
Ms Dingwall had hailed Davidson as ‘king Adam’ and a ‘hero’ online after a court heard the vigilante attacked Cowan ‘because he’s a f***ing grub’.
‘I’m here to help other people find hope,’ Ms Dingwall said last week.
She described herself as a victim of crime who pitched a cougar-themed TV comedy project.
But she couldn’t explain who was in the photograph which she used to advertise her campaign for ‘our new hero Adam Davidson’.
It can now be revealed she used a photo of a British tattoo artist Tony Wallace – who has nothing to do with the case – to illustrate her plea.
When told the photo prominently used to advertise her GoFundMe was not actually Adam Davidson, she said ‘OK. Really? OK.”
She rejected any claims it was a scam, and Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting it was. ‘We are not a scam,’ she said.
‘We are simple child victims, if you would put the same energy into help(ing)…. instead of these silly allegations it would be a better world.’
The picture has since been taken down.
Fundraiser: Susan Dingwall hailed Adam Davidson as a ‘hero’ online and told Daily Mail Australia she was committed to help rehabilitate him
Brett Peter Cowan (pictured) was playing cards when Davidson poured a bucket of boiling water on him, hoping he would ‘feel the pain like someone like Daniel Morcombe has felt’
Last week, Ms Dingwall revealed she had sent a care package in the mail to Davidson.
It included items such as ‘thank you cards and boxes of chocolate scorched almonds’, however, it’s unclear if the products will ever reach Davidson.
The Queensland government website states: ‘Incoming mail (to prisoners)…. should contain only letters and approved family photographs.
‘If approved, (prisoners) may also receive religious reading materials, underwear and court clothing through the mail.’
Inmate Adam Paul Davidson (court sketch pictured) stalked child-killer Brett Peter Cowan for a month to decide on the best way to hurt him
Davidson had plotted to attack Cowan for a month before he finally poured scalding water on his head at Wolston Correctional Centre last year, a court heard.
The attack was condemned by Judge Ian Dearden who said ‘we are all precious human beings’ and Cowan had no right to attack another inmate.
As the Daily Mail reported a week ago, Ms Dingwall began asking people for donations after saying she wanted to help rehabilitate Davidson after prison.
She wrote that while she had sorted out his lolly situation, ‘Adam would probably be more in need of girlie magazines, toothpaste, toilet paper and chocolate protein powder.’
Cowan was playing cards with other inmates at the Wolston Correctional Centre in Queensland (pictured) at the time
Davidson said he acted alone in the attack, and referred to Cowan as a ‘f***ing grub’ (pictured: A cell at the high security prison)
Daniel (pictured) was just 13 when he was abducted and murdered in 2003. His remains were not recovered until August 2011
Ms Dingwall said then: ‘We’ve been backlashed with the fact we’re supporting the vigilante. That’s not the case.’
She said she simply wanted to help Davidson with a ‘new start in life’ after his time in jail and media exposure.
Davidson was jailed for fraud and a bizarre incident where he held up a bottle shop with his finger. He will be released on parole in November.
Cowan is serving a life sentence after abducting and murdering the Sunshine Coast boy, 13, in December 2013.
He was caught by police in an elaborate sting operation where he confessed to his crimes after nearly a decade because he thought it would allow him into a gang.
Ms Dingall’s campaign had raised $160.