SWLSpregnant – By Izzy Hawksworth and Lucy Jenkinson
A young woman who faked the death of a newborn baby and two pregnancies wore a silicone pregnancy bump and pretended to be on a maternity ward, a court heard.
Libby Vernon, 23, claimed to be pregnant by an ‘abusive ex-partner’ when she started a long distance relationship with a man that she met online.
She made the decision to raise the baby with her new partner and she sent him a photo of a newborn with the words ‘someone wants to meet you’ in 2023.
But four days later, Vernon was on a video call with the victim, who could see a cot in the room, and she later messaged to say the baby had stopped breathing and doctors were carrying out CPR.
She then told the victim to say the baby had died and provided a death certificate which said the baby had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.
Vernon, of Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, then became intimate with the victim, of Cumbria, and she announced she was pregnant with twins.
She told him she was in pain, sent him a photo of a blood clot, said she has had a miscarriage but then announced that she had been misdiagnosed and the pregnancy continued.
The couple, who were still in a long distance relationship, had a gender reveal party in Cumbria and the victim’s family believed they were welcoming twin boys.
Vernon then went to hospital and told the victim she was in pain and that she had been told by medical professionals that the babies were no longer alive.
The victim then went up to the hospital and wanted to know what had happened and he made demands to go inside.
It was then discovered that Vernon had not been on to the maternity ward at all and she was wearing a silicone baby bump.
The original pregnancy and baby had never existed – the victim was ‘significantly distressed’ by what Vernon had done, the court heard.
Prosecutor Pamela Fee thanked the court for allowing more time to review the charges in what had been a‘complex’ case.
She said: “It’s something that we don’t come across all that often. It’s taken an awful lot of work.”
Mike Woolaghan, defending, told the court that there were no guidelines in place for any of the offences Vernon had committed.
He said: “There is a risk that matters cross the custody threshold.
“This lady has no convictions at all. It’s evident there is a lot more going on below the surface than appears.
“It’s right to say there are no formal diagnoses of mental health issues or something going on that needs to be explored.”
Vernon pleaded guilty to four charges of sending communication conveying false information and five charges of sending false communication with intent to cause harm.
She also admitted one charge of sending a false certificate regarding registration of a birth or death and will be sentenced on March 19.
Vernon was bailed with conditions not to enter Cumbria or to contact the victim by any means.
ENDS
