Photos used by a woman to falsely convince her partner she was pregnant with his twins have been released by police after she was jailed for her sick scam.
Libby Vernon, 23, of Stoke-on-Trent, wore a silicone pregnancy bump and told her partner she was pregnant with his twins and that her previous newborn baby – who also did not exist – had died.
Vernon even sent her partner a false death certificate to convince him her fake child had died.
During the 13-month deception, she used a fake Facebook account and false medical documents to string him along, a court heard last week.
Her deceit was only revealed after he met her at a hospital for a planned scan, only for the truth to emerge at last.
Vernon was last week jailed for six months and handed a two-year restraining order banning her from contacting her now ex-partner.
Cumbria Police have today shared some of the sick images Vernon used to convince her partner of the lie.
Images included fake ultrasound images, photos of a baby and even a fake death certificate Vernon sent in late 2023, where phony baby Athena is listed as dying of ‘sudden infant death syndrome’, or SIDS.
Libby Vernon, 23, of Stoke-on-Trent, wore a silicone pregnancy bump and told her partner she was pregnant with his twins and that her previous newborn baby – who also did not exist – had died
She sent her partner a fake death certificate for baby Athena, which listed the cause of death as sudden infant death syndrome
Also released was a photo of a plaque Vernon had custom-made which listed the names of all three of the fake babies on the back of football shirts.
Vernon’s deception began when she met the man online and they held a video call for several hours in which the court heard she looked pregnant.
She informed the man she was pregnant with twins from an abusive ex-boyfriend, and the couple soon embarked on a long-distance relationship, with her partner planning to move in with her once she had given birth.
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.
She even set up a fake Facebook account and sent messages to the man, purporting to be from her ex, in which ‘he’ made veiled threats.
In November 2023, Vernon claimed to have given birth to a baby girl named Athena, and sent photos of another baby to her partner – but refused to let him meet her.
She then disappeared suddenly on a video call with him while appearing panicked, and pretended the baby had stopped breathing.
Vernon was jailed for six months and given a two-year restraining order after pleading guilty to four charges of sending communication conveying false information and five charges of sending false communication with intent to cause harm
Vernon sent her partner a custom-made plaque which listed the names of her fake babies
Vernon later told her partner the baby had died and even sent him a forged death certificate which listed sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as the cause.
Later, Vernon told her partner she was pregnant again, this time with his twins.
She bought a fake pregnancy bump from eBay which she padded out as her ‘pregnancy’ progressed.
Vernon’s partner had never seen her undressed as she had told him she was ‘self-conscious’ about how she looked.
In January 2024, she said she was in pain and sent her partner a picture of a blood clot, and told him she believed she was losing the pregnancy – but ultimately carried on the ruse.
The couple later celebrated with family at a gender reveal party in June last year, and bought a twin pram and other baby items.
Vernon had a plaque made showing the names ‘mummy’ and ‘daddy’ on football shirts, alongside the names of the babies she claimed to have been pregnant with, called Tommy, Ollie, and Athena.
But at the party family members raised concerns that her bump ‘didn’t’ look right’ and agreed she should go to hospital.
After her partner met her at hospital, he insisted Vernon be scanned, and it was only then that he found out she hadn’t been on the maternity ward at all and she was wearing a fake baby bump.
A statement from the victim, which was read to Workington Magistrates’ Court, said he had been ‘really struggling emotionally’ thinking that the twins should have been born by now.
Vernon was jailed for six months and given a two-year restraining order after pleading guilty to four charges of sending communication conveying false information and five charges of sending false communication with intent to cause harm.
She also admitted one charge of sending a false certificate regarding registration of a birth or death.
