Laura McPherson, 35, has been convicted of fraud for tricking her boyfriend into believing she had cancer and conning him out of thousands of pounds – a judge branded her a ‘wicked and devious liar’
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.
Mr Leonard, who has raised almost £40 million for cancer charities through his business Ultra Events, read his own victim impact statement to the court. In it, the 44-year-old said: “She has never apologised and never shown any remorse for her actions. She is a compulsive liar who even convinced her own daughter she was suffering from cancer.”
‘You are a wicked and devious liar’
Handing her a two-year community order, Judge Jonathan Straw said: “Laura McPherson, you are a wicked and devious liar who embarked on five years of deceit. It is difficult to imagine how an individual could be so calculated and cruel to those who loved and cared for her. This was a sophisticated offence involving significant planning which was carried out over a sustained period of time. This is a high impact offence which has had a serious and detrimental effect on Mr Leonard, both financially and emotionally.”
Siward James-Moore, prosecuting, said between March 1, 2017 and January 31, 2022, McPherson received thousands of pounds from Mr Leonard, falsely claiming she was suffering from cancer and required money for treatment, reports Derbyshire Live. He said: “She lied about the cancer diagnosis first saying she was undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Derby Hospital for cervical cancer. She then went on to say she’d got colon and breast cancer and was going to travel to the Mayr clinic in Austria and asked Mr Leonard for money. She told him she had terminal cancer and he found a leading doctor in that field but she said she would rather have the treatment on the NHS.
“He saw messages to the clinic in Austria where it was obvious it was related to weight loss therapy. Perhaps the final straw was on New Year’s Eve, 2021, when he dropped her off for treatment, he was told not to come in and she exchanged text messages with him saying she was being hydrated.”
Money was spent on breast enlargement and trips abroad
Laura McPherson fabricated stories and sent photos of her supposedly receiving treatment at multiple hospital and specialist visits as she swindled nearly £25,000 from her partner. But instead of her supposedly life-saving treatments and chemotherapy, she instead splashed out breast enhancement procedures, and holistic and weight loss treatment on trips abroad. McPherson not only lied to Mr Leonard about her health, but also her friends and even her own family. It included her distraught 12-year-old daughter, who is now 16.
Police began an investigation in 2022, but McPherson told officers it was Mr Leonard had been controlling in their relationship, and denied the offences. She later pleaded guilty to fraud.
‘She has stolen years of my life from me’
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.
