Staffordshire woman jailed for pregnancy deception

A woman from Staffordshire has been sentenced to six months in prison for deceiving her partner into believing she was pregnant on two separate occasions. Libby Vernon, 23, was found guilty of 10 charges related to false communications. Vernon first met her partner online and claimed she was pregnant by an abusive ex-boyfriend. She told him she was having twins and even fabricated the loss of one baby. The couple mourned together after she claimed the baby had died. Vernon also sent him pictures of a baby she pretended was hers, naming it “Athena,” then falsely reported that the baby had died from sudden infant death syndrome. Later, during the relationship, Vernon told her partner she was pregnant again. They hosted a gender-reveal party, believing they were having twin boys. However, Vernon continued to make false claims about her pregnancy, including indicating she had miscarriages. The truth came to light when Vernon texted her partner about being in pain and bleeding. When he entered the maternity ward, he discovered she was wearing a fake pregnancy bump. The court heard her lies had a significant impact on her partner and his family, who were preparing to welcome a baby. In his victim statement, he expressed how he changed his life to become a parent. Vernon’s defense acknowledged her hardships in understanding her actions. The judge called her deception “sophisticated” and harmful, imposing a two-year restraining order as part of her sentence.