A mother accused of fabricating her six-year-old son’s cancer diagnosis has confessed to charges associated with the scam.
Originating from West Lakes, a suburb in the west, the woman was detained last December. She allegedly manipulated her son’s health condition to fraudulently collect $60,000 from generous community donors.
According to prosecutors, the woman solicited donations through an online fundraising platform and her child’s school. She even went as far as placing her son in a wheelchair and using bandages to fake radiotherapy treatments.
Earlier in May, charges against her husband were dismissed, while her charges were revised. She now faces one count of criminal neglect, alongside 56 counts of deception for financial gain, and 14 counts related to dishonest handling of property.
Prosecutors informed the court today that a resolution had been reached following plea negotiations.
Appearing via video link from Adelaide Women’s Prison, the woman admitted to 10 deception charges, fraudulently obtaining $11,500. The amounts ranged from $500 to $3,000, accumulated between November 21 and December 12, 2024.
The criminal neglect charge did not proceed and the woman instead pleaded guilty to one aggravated count of acts likely to cause harm to a person aged under 12.
When police revealed the allegations last year, acting Assistant Commissioner John DeCandia said he “couldn’t think of a more devious and cruel scheme”.
“It’s abhorrent that (a person) would seek to profit for their own personal greed and selfishness from such an insidious condition such as cancer which impacts so many families in our community,” he said.
Magistrate Patrick Hill remanded the woman in custody to face the District Court on November 28, when a date for sentencing submissions is expected to be set.
