A woman who wore a fake ‘baby’ bump and burst balloons at a bogus gender reveal party while duping a man she met online was jailed today.
Libby Vernon, 23, spun a web of cruel lies, tricking her unsuspecting boyfriend into believing they were going to have twins together.
During the 13-month deception, she used a fake Facebook account and false medical documents to string him along, a court heard today.
Her deceit was only revealed after he met her at a hospital for a planned scan, only for the truth to emerge at last.
Today magistrates were told how his family had been ‘torn apart’ by the deception, which he said had left him feeling like he had suffered a bereavement even though the babies never existed.
The bizarre pretence began when the pair spoke for hours on a first night video call through the Yubo social media app, Workington Magistrates’ Court heard.
She looked pregnant, prosecutor Pamela Fee said, and informed the man she was pregnant with twins to an abusive ex-partner.
Vernon also claimed she was partner of a nursery business and owned her own home with a mortgage.
‘None of that was true,’ said Ms Fee.
They began a long-distance relationship with the plan being to move in together, the man helping to raise the children.
During the first three months, Vernon – who lived in Werrington, Staffordshire – said she had lost one twin but claimed to have a rare condition with two uteruses.
She later provided a fake NHS branded later apparently confirming the miscarriage.
‘They discussed the loss and grieved together and she told the victim the other baby was healthy,’ said Ms Fee.
Vernon set up a fake Facebook account and sent messages to the man, purporting to be from her ex, in which he made veiled threats.
After she and the Cumbria-based man met in person, they went to the Trafford Centre near Manchester, where she displayed signs of being pregnant and struggled to walk on a hot day.
In November 2023, Vernon sent the man fake baby photos saying ‘someone to meet you’.
That ‘baby’ was named Athena, and had been given the man’s surname.
But he became suspicious when requests to meet the ‘baby’ were rebuffed, the court heard.
After suddenly leaving a panicked video call, Vernon pretended the baby had stopped breathing and died of sudden infant death syndrome.
‘I was devastated,’ said the man, who was sent a fake death certificate image.
After their relationship continued and became sexual, Vernon told the man she was pregnant again.
She mailed him a baby-grow in the post and announced they were expecting twins.
The hoaxer even sent him a fake images of bleeding and ultrasound pictures showing twins, the court heard.
‘Vernon said at the scan she asked for the babies’ genders to be put into envelope so they could do a gender reveal together,’ said Ms Fee.
‘Confetti-filled balloons were burst by the couple in front of the victims’ family and revealed Vernon was carrying twin boys.’
They named the boys Ollie and Tommy.
All scans took place out of Cumbria and the man was not allowed by Vernon to attend.
However his relatives suggested her ‘baby bump’ didn’t look right when she attended his birthday celebrations, Ms Fee said.
Finally in June 2024 he met her at a hospital for a planned scan where despite her reluctance, the man persuaded maternity staff to perform a scan.
‘Vernon was not pregnant and it was found that she was wearing a fake baby bump,’ said Ms Fee.
‘Everything she had told him was lies.
‘There were no babies.
‘Scan photos were false, letters were false and everything she told him about being pregnant and carrying his children was a lie.’
Describing the impact on him, Miss Fee said: ‘He believed he was going to be a father to a baby girl and then twin boy.
‘They had blankets made with the boys’ names on them and Vernon even had a plaque made up for the victim showing ‘daddy’s dream team’. ‘
This depicted football shirts and bore the names of Tommy, Ollie and Athena — ‘Athena’s shirt having angel wings and a halo above it’ added the prosecutor.
The man spoke of his family’s lives being ‘torn apart’.
He had said of the babies: ‘I know they were never real, but they are to me. They felt it to me and it’s like I lost them.
‘None of it makes sense and I don’t think I’ll ever fully get my head around it.’
Vernon admitted a total of ten counts – four of sending texts and one involving a photograph which conveyed false information; one of sending a false death certificate; and four of sending a false communication with intent to cause harm.
Mike Woolaghan, mitigating, admitted the ‘obvious question is why’ Vernon acted as she did.
‘She struggled to understand the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of what she has done, he said.
Vernon had described being ‘young and scared’, the court heard.
She had expressed remorse to a probation officer, and apologised to the man and his family.
Magistrates imposed an immediate six-month jail term and a two-year restraining order.
‘We find that this was a sophisticated, well planned and intentional series of deceptions designed to manipulate your victim,’ said lead magistrate Christine Williams.
‘You caused serious harm to your victim and his family, who are still grieving what to her was a genuine loss.’