In a shocking case of deception, 23-year-old Libby Vernon from Staffordshire has been sentenced to six months in jail and handed a two-year restraining order after fabricating an elaborate pregnancy hoax that left a man grieving children that never existed. Her calculated deceit, which spanned over 13 months, started when she met the unsuspecting man online.
Presenting herself as a stable, successful woman with a respectable job and her own home, she built an illusionary life that never existed. Soon after, she falsely claimed she was pregnant with his twins. The emotional investment deepened as she choreographed an elaborate gender reveal party, bursting balloons to announce the arrival of twin boys.
As the months passed, Vernon claimed she lost one of the twins due to a rare medical condition involving two uteruses. To solidify her deceit, she even produced a falsified NHS-branded letter to “confirm” the miscarriage. The remaining baby, she assured him, was healthy. The couple mourned the loss together, unknowingly grieving over a fabricated child.
Vernon’s manipulation extended beyond her immediate relationship. She created a fake Facebook account impersonating an abusive ex-partner, sending disturbing messages to the man filled with threats to elicit sympathy. She went as far as feigning physical signs of pregnancy, even struggling to walk in public due to an apparent baby bump.
Then, in a cruel twist, she sent her partner a fake baby photo, claiming their child had been born. Naming the baby Athena and giving her his surname. His requests to see the baby were declined. The deception deepened when she sent him a fraudulent death certificate claiming the baby had died from sudden infant death syndrome. The man, devastated, mourned a child that had never existed.
Despite the emotional devastation, their relationship continued. Vernon again claimed to be pregnant, once more expecting twins. At a gender reveal party she revealed they were expecting boys. The couple planned a future together, naming the unborn babies Ollie and Tommy, even ordering personalized blankets and plaques with their names. But concerns grew when no medical proof of the pregnancy emerged.
In June, after persistent doubts, the man convinced hospital staff to conduct an ultrasound. The shocking truth was revealed: Vernon was wearing a fake baby bump. Every scan, every letter, every story—was a lie.
A judge in Workington, Cumbria, described Vernon’s actions as a “sophisticated, well-planned and intentional series of deceptions.” She was found guilty of 10 charges, including sending false information, fabricating a death certificate, and communicating with intent to cause harm.
Despite her guilty plea and expressions of remorse, the court recognized the irreversible damage done to her victim and his family. “We find that this was a calculated act of manipulation,” lead magistrate Christine Williams declared. “You have caused deep emotional harm to a family who are grieving what they believed to be a genuine loss.”
For the man who thought he lost 4 children, the scars remain. “I know they were never real, but they are to me,” he said, struggling to process the ordeal. “None of it makes sense, and I don’t think I’ll ever fully get my head around it.”
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