Mum-of-Two Lied for Five Years to Manipulate Partner
A mother-of-two who falsely claimed she had cancer to con her partner out of thousands of pounds has been sentenced.
Laura McPherson, 35, tricked businessman Jon Leonard for five years, convincing him she was seriously ill and needed financial support for treatment. Leonard, who has raised nearly £40 million for cancer charities through his business, was deceived into funding her supposed medical care.
Elaborate Lies to Cover Up Fraud
McPherson initially told Leonard she had cervical cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy at Royal Derby Hospital. She later escalated her lies, claiming to have breast and colon cancer and stating she needed treatment at a specialist clinic in Austria. When Leonard looked into the facility, he discovered it was a weight-loss clinic.
The court heard how she turned down an opportunity to meet a top cancer specialist Leonard had found for her. Instead, she continued her deception, even telling her daughter she had cancer.
In his victim impact statement, Leonard said: “For five years, she pretended to have cancer. She told me she was giving up and wouldn’t go through with treatment. I now realise she was just seeking attention.”
He added: “Almost everything she told me was a lie. She has destroyed my faith in humanity.”
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Court Sentencing and Judge’s Condemnation
McPherson, from Derby, pleaded guilty to fraud at Derby Crown Court. Despite her actions, she was handed a two-year community order, including a 40-week curfew from 7pm to 6am five days a week, and was ordered to attend 30 rehabilitation sessions.
Judge Jonathan Straw strongly condemned McPherson’s behaviour, saying: “You are a wicked and devious liar who embarked on five years of deceit. It is difficult to imagine how someone could be so calculated and cruel to those who loved and cared for them.”
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing later this year may see McPherson stripped of any assets gained from her deception.
