Laura McPherson, 35, told her boyfriend that she had terminal cancer and needed money for treatment – but the truth was far more sinister, and she’s now been ordered to pay back an eyewatering sum
A mum who faked having a terminal cancer so she could con her boyfriend into buying her a boob job has been forced to pay back £30,000.
Laura McPherson, 35, from Derby, falsely told her partner Jon Leonard that she had cervical, ovarian, colon, bowel and breast cancer. She even went as far as leading her young daughter to believe that her mother was dying from the disease.
In part of her “elaborate tale of deceit”, the fraudster concocted fake stories and sent selfies of her supposedly receiving treatment at various hospitals and specialist visits.
She also told her boyfriend that she needed funds for treatment at a private clinic in Austria, had undergone a hysterectomy, and also falsely claimed she was receiving chemotherapy in hospital.
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Jon even tracked down a leading UK cancer treatment specialist and arranged an appointment, but the lying mum insisted she would rather stick with her NHS treatment.
While her partner and young daughter worried sick about her health, Laura was busy splashing her boyfriend’s money on breast enhancement procedures, as well as holistic and weight loss treatments during trips abroad.
In total, Jon, who has raised almost £40 million for cancer charities through his business Ultra Events, was conned out of £25,000. He had also gifted his then-girlfriend a £30,000 Rolex in celebration of getting the all-clear from one form of cancer.
At a hearing at Derby Crown Court on 6 October, Laura was ordered to pay back £30,714 by January 5. The court heard how the compensation would be raised through the sale of a watch, but it wasn’t confirmed whether this would be the Rolex, The Sun reports.
The order comes after Laura was spared going to jail but handed a two-year community order earlier this year.
Following the hearing this month, Jon said in a statement: “It’s finally over. Today marks the end of eight and a half challenging years. She never had cancer and it has now come to light she has been making up having cancer since she was in secondary school long before I knew her.
“She has been exposed for the horrible, lying, manipulative individual she is.”
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During a hearing in March, 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.”
Prosecutor Siward James-Moore told the court that Laura duped Jon into giving her thousands of pounds between 1 March 2017 and 31 January 2022. He stated: “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.”