Our thanks to Ken for this. Extracts take up the remainder of this piece.
A “wicked and devious” mum-of-two who falsely claimed she had breast cancer to con her own boyfriend out of thousands of pounds was spared jail by a judge.
Laura McPherson took advantage of Jon Leonard’s affection for her so she could profit for her own greed and gain, Derby Crown Court heard. The 35-year-old, from Derby, told the victim she needed money for treatment at a private clinic in Austria, had undergone a hysterectomy, and also falsely claimed she was receiving chemotherapy in hospital. He even sought out a leading UK cancer treatment medic to try and help her, but she claimed she was not interested and would instead find a different course of treatment…
In his impact statement, Mr Leonard said: “I honestly feel she has stolen years of my life from me. She isolated me from my friends and family and even since we separated she has been spreading lies about me. Laura told her daughter she had cancer but would never sit down and explain this to her. For the five years she pretended to have cancer she would tell me she was giving up and not going ahead with treatment. I now realise she was seeking attention. The emotional toll this has had on me is difficult to explain. Her actions have been diabolical, almost everything she told me was a lie, I feel I was deceived in the cruellest way. She has destroyed my faith in humanity.”
Laura Pitman, mitigating, said her client has no previous convictions of any kind and “accepts her behaviour spans a number of years” and that she has suffered from anxiety and depression. She said: “One perhaps wonders why a young woman behaved in the way that she has.
“She feels awful for the way she behaved. She has sought outside support to look at her behaviour. There has been no further offending by her. There’s a more constructive way Laura McPherson can be dealt with rather than custody.” A Proceeds of Crime Acts hearing, which could see her stripped of cash and assets, will take place later this year.
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