A woman has been sentenced to six months in jail after deceiving her partner twice into believing she was pregnant, with the truth only coming to light when she arrived at a maternity ward wearing a fake pregnancy bump.

At Workington Magistrates' Court, Libby Vernon, 23, from Staffordshire, admitted to 10 charges of sending false communications. Prosecutor Pamela Fee told the court that Vernon had met her former partner online and falsely claimed she was pregnant by an abusive ex-boyfriend. She also fabricated stories about being a co-owner of a nursery business and having a mortgaged home.

Vernon convinced her partner that she was expecting twins, and the couple decided to raise the babies together. Later, she told him that one of the babies had died, leading them to grieve the loss together. She maintained that the remaining baby was healthy and falsely claimed she had a rare condition involving two uteruses.

In December 2023, she sent her partner a picture of a baby wearing a hat that read “someone wants to meet you,” followed by additional images of a baby in a car seat and a cot. During a video call, her partner noticed the cot but couldn’t see the baby and heard Vernon say the name “Athena.”

Shortly after, Vernon texted him in distress, claiming the baby had stopped breathing and had been rushed to the hospital, where she later died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). To support her story, Vernon even forged a death certificate under the name “Athena Grace.”

However, the court was told that none of this was true—Vernon had never been pregnant, and baby Athena never existed.

By early 2024, Vernon told her partner she was expecting twins again. The couple celebrated with a gender-reveal party, naming the babies, including one after the victim’s grandfather. Throughout their relationship, Vernon avoided removing her top, citing insecurities about stretch marks and a rash.

She later claimed to have miscarried multiple times, once sending her partner an image of a blood clot and another time presenting a fake NHS letter confirming a miscarriage.

The truth unraveled when Vernon texted her partner, saying she was in pain and bleeding. He insisted she go to the hospital, where he met her. Upon growing suspicious of delays, he accompanied her to the ward, where it was revealed she was wearing a fake baby bump.

The victim, deeply affected by the deception, had moved out of his mother’s home, decorated a house for their supposed family, and prepared for fatherhood. In a victim impact statement, he expressed how the situation had upended his life, saying, “I thought I was going to be a parent and changed my whole life to be ready for that.”

Vernon’s defense lawyer, Michael Woolaghan, said she struggled to comprehend her own actions and had never previously been in trouble with the law. However, the court ruled that her actions were deliberate and well-planned.

Sentencing her, Christine Williams, chair of the bench, described the deception as calculated and causing significant harm to both the victim and his family. In addition to the prison sentence, Vernon was given a two-year restraining order.