Lavish life of 'devious' cancer scammer mum from flash holidays to plastic surgery
Laura McPherson, 35, falsely claimed she had cancer and fabricated stories of herself supposedly receiving treatment and used the money to fund a life of luxury
A mother-of-two deceitfully claimed she had cancer to con her partner out of thousands of pounds, supposedly for life-saving treatments. Instead, she used the money to pay for breast enhancement surgery and weight-loss treatment abroad.
Laura McPherson, 35, 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.
She spun a web of lies about having cancer and undergoing treatment, Derby Crown Court heard. She duped Mr Leonard, who has raised £39 million for charity through his business Ultra Events, into handing over nearly £25,000 for treatments he believed might save her life over five years.
He had also gifted his then-girlfriend a £30,000 Rolex in celebration of getting the 'all-clear' from one form of cancer.
However, instead of using the funds for the alleged life-saving treatments and chemotherapy, McPherson splurged on a lavish lifestyle. This included breast enhancement surgery and holistic and weight loss treatments during holidays aroad.
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 gifted Rolex
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."
From March 2017 to January 2022, McPherson, received thousands from Mr Leonard, claiming she needed the money for cancer treatment.
Prosecutor Siward James-Moore said: "She lied about the cancer diagnosis first saying she was undergoing chemotherapy at the Royal Derby Hospital for cervical cancer.
"She then claimed she had colon and breast cancer and was planning 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, which were obviously 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."
Police launched an investigation in 2022, but McPherson denied the charges and claimed Mr Leonard had been controlling during their relationship. She subsequently admitted fraud.
Mr Leonard said in his victim impact statement that he felt McPherson had "stolen years" of his life. He added that the ordeal had "destroyed" his "faith in humanity".
He said: "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."
Defence barrister Laura Pitman told the court her client had no prior convictions and acknowledged "her behaviour spans a number of years" and that she has battled 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."
Judge Jonathan Straw labelled McPherson a "wicked and devious liar" and she was given a two-year community order.