Images sent by woman who faked pregnancies and newborn baby death
Libby Vernon, 23, was jailed for six months after faking two pregnancies and the death of a newborn baby.
Vernon had claimed to be pregnant by an ‘abusive ex-partner’ when she started a long distance relationship with a west Cumbrian man she met online.
But just days after ‘giving birth’ she told him the baby had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and sent a picture of a death certificate.
After grieving the loss, the pair became intimate and Vernon told the victim she was pregnant again and expecting his twins.
She bought a fake pregnancy bump from eBay which she padded out as her ‘pregnancy’ progressed.
They celebrated with family at a gender reveal party and bought a twin pram and other baby items – but it later transpired she had never been pregnant.
Cumbria Police have now released images of a false death certificate which had been doctored by Vernon and a plaque she had created for the victim showing ‘Daddy’s Dream Team’.
It had football shirts which bared the names, mummy and daddy with the names of the twins and the baby Vernon claimed had died – with angel wings and a halo.
Workington Magistrates’ Court heard Vernon met the victim on social media and they had video calls where the defendant appeared to be heavily pregnant.
She told him she was pregnant to an ex-partner who had been violent towards her. Vernon and the victim ‘got on well’ and a long distance relationship developed, prosecutor Pamela Fee said.
It was agreed she would eventually move to Cumbria and the victim would raise the child with Vernon. She kept him updated with the pregnancy, which she said was twins.
She then told him she had lost one of the babies but she had a rare condition where she had two uteruses and the other baby was healthy, the court heard.
Their relationship continued and the couple met in person. They went to The Trafford Centre together and Vernon was ‘showing signs of pregnancy’.
They later spent time in Newcastle together but the victim did not see her undressed at any point as Vernon told him she was ‘self-conscious’ about how she looked.
In December 2023, Vernon sent a photo of a newborn baby with the words, ‘someone wants to meet you’. She sent further photos of a baby in a car seat and in a cot, the prosecutor said.
Four days after the birth, Vernon was on a video call with the victim, who could see a cot in the room. Vernon shouted the baby’s name in panic and ended the call.
She then sent messages to the victim, saying the baby had stopped breathing and they were carrying out CPR. She later contacted the victim to say the baby had died, the court was told.
Vernon provided a picture of a death certificate and said the baby had died from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
Both grieved the loss of the baby separately. Vernon lived in Stoke-on-Trent and the victim lived in west Cumbria.
The pair’s relationship became sexual and Vernon later told the victim she was pregnant again with twins. In January 2024, she told him she was in pain and sent him a picture of a blood clot. She believed she was losing the pregnancy, the court heard.
She sent messages saying she had miscarried twins and provided an NHS letter to confirm the miscarriage. She then said she had been misdiagnosed and the pregnancy continued, Ms Fee said.
Vernon said she had asked for the babies’ gender to be put in an envelope at the scan. A gender reveal party was then held in Cumbria with blue balloons revealed.
Vernon returned to Cumbria in June 2024 to celebrate the victim’s birthday. Family members suggested the defendant’s bump ‘didn’t look right’. They agreed she should go to hospital in the morning, Ms Fee said.
The victim went to work in the morning and Vernon sent messages to him saying she was in pain and bleeding. She said she had been to A&E and believed she had lost the babies but had panicked and gone home.
The victim went to the hospital and found Vernon outside. He made demands to go into the hospital. It was then discovered that Vernon had not been on to the maternity ward at all.
It was found she was wearing a fake baby bump and was not pregnant, Ms Fee said.
It was discovered that the original pregnancy and baby had never existed either. The victim was ‘significantly distressed’ by what Vernon had done.
He had moved out of his mother’s house and got his own property, which he prepared and decorated for his future family. Together they bought baby clothes, baby bouncers and a twin pram.
Following her arrest, there were some calls between Vernon and the victim, in which she acted like they were getting back together and even laughed about what had happened.
During police interview, Vernon said she and the victim had found out together that she was pregnant in February 2024. They did a test together at home, which was positive.
She said she started to bleed a few days later and didn’t know how to tell the victim so ‘got caught in a web of lies’. She said she did another test a few weeks later and this was negative.
Vernon said she had a fake bump she had ordered from eBay, then would put a bodysuit over to smooth it and put a t-shirt down to make it bigger as the ‘pregnancy’ progressed.
Mike Woolaghan, defending, said Vernon’s behaviour was ‘bizarre at best and weird at worst’.
He told the court: “It’s clear the defendant struggles to understand and comprehend the what and why of what she has done.
“Since the point of detection, it seems she made full and frank admissions.
“During the course of meetings with the Probation Service, she expresses remorse and apologises to the victim and his extended family for the hurt that has been caused.
“The defendant has to begin a process of reflection and engage with community-based agencies. She has contacted the NHS and is on a waiting list for talking therapies.
“She’s had contact with her GP and has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression.
“She was a lady of previous good character. She’s never troubled the criminal justice system before.”
Vernon admitted four charges of sending communication conveying false information, five charges of sending false communication with intent to cause harm and one charge of sending a false certificate regarding registration of a birth or death.
Passing sentence, lead magistrate, Christine Williams, said: “We find this was a sophisticated, well planned, intentional series of deceptions designed to manipulate your victim.
“You have caused serious harm to the victim and his family, to what was to them, a genuine loss.”
The defendant, of Moss Park Avenue, Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, was jailed for a total of six months. A restraining order was granted which bans Vernon from having contact with the victim for two years.
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