Children’s nurse faked having her ex-partner’s baby in lockdown by sending him snap of her ‘baby bump’, bogus scans and even pictures of someone else’s baby in intensive care
- Alexandra Gregory, 25 pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications
- She sent more than 300 messages to Mr Smith in one day
- Claimed newborn was ‘born blue’ and put into intensive care
A children’s nurse lied that she was pregnant with her ex-partner’s child’s birth during lockdown – sending him pictures of her baby bump, fake baby scans and eventually snaps of someone else’s baby in hospital
Alexandra Gregory, 25, who sent numerous fake pregnancy scans to her ex-partner was handed a suspended sentence for the ‘prolonged campaign’ of deception against her former boyfriend.
The children’s cancer nurse pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications to Daniel Smith between August 2020 and February 2021 at Worcester magistrates’ court on Thursday.
Chairman of the prosecuting bench, Kevin Lloyd-Wright said that Gregory had carried out a ‘planned, sustained and relentless’ campaign against Mr Smith.
It was found that the pair had a short relationship which ran from February to July 2020.
Alexandra Gregory (Pictured), 25 sent numerous fake baby scans and baby bump photos to her ex-partner between August 2020 and February 2021
The paediatric nurse ‘fully accepted’ that she had lied about having Mr Smith’s baby and that there was ‘no sensible explanation for what she did’.
Gregory’s defence team claimed that she had indeed become pregnant, however, the court was told she had suffered a miscarriage at some point before she had begun messaging Mr Smith in October.
Her solicitor said Gregory had become distressed with the situation, as well as her work as a paediatric nurse during lockdown, the BBC reports.
It was found that she had sent photos of herself in a nursing uniform whilst showcasing a pregnancy bump.
The solicitor added that the 25-year-old ‘fully accepted’ that she had lied about having Mr Smith’s baby and that there was ‘no sensible explanation for what she did’.
Despite this, a month later her ex-partner received another photo from Gregory, this time of a positive pregnancy test which was followed by a photo of herself with a small bump.
The pair then met up and mutually agreed to have an abortion, however, she then text him three months later saying she had changed her mind and intended to keep the baby.
She later continued to send her former partner a multitude of messages, including more fake baby scans, and photos of her in her Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Hospital nursing uniform with a pregnancy bump.
The children’s nurse even took teddy bears to Mr Smith’s house and asked him to sleep with them so she could give them to the child and they would ‘know his scent’.
On one day in January 2021, the court heard, she sent more than 300 messages to Mr Smith.
Later that January, Gregory told her former boyfriend that she had given birth to a baby girl, named Aria.
However, she claimed that Aria had been ‘born blue’ before sending him photographs of a baby in hospital, adding: ‘Our daughter is in intensive care.’
The offending took place throughout the Covid pandemic, in which Gregory often reminded Mr Smith he shouldn’t be leaving the house as it would put their baby at risk.
Gregory even went as far as to draft lists of items that he needed to purchase for the newborn as well as money for child maintenance.
The court was told Mr Smith had questioned the legitimacy of the scans, and at one point requested a DNA test, but felt too guilty to confront her.
Eventually, Mr Smith’s mother became suspicious of his ex-partner’s behaviour towards her son and reported it to the police.
The court heard that the truth was finally revealed a month later, when Gregory’s father told Mr Smith’s aunt that there was no baby.
Gregory pleaded guilty to sending malicious communications to Daniel Smith between August 2020 and February 2021 at Worcester magistrates’ court (Pictured) on Thursday
Officers from West Mercia Police then attended her address to investigate these concerns, this is when Gregory admitted that the baby did not exist.
PC Rosanna Stone, who was the investigating officer, said: ‘I have been speaking with the victim for almost three years now and in my opinion, his life has been severely permanently emotionally damaged due to Gregory’s actions.
‘She has since gone on to have a child with another partner but answered no comment in interviews.’
Prosecuting, Tom Wickstead told the court that the experience had left Mr Smith feeling ‘like a shadow of himself’ whilst the judge later acknowledged that he had suffered ‘continuous anxiety’ due to the incident.
Gregory was sentenced to a four-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, as well as a 12-month mental-health treatment plan and 20 days of community service.
The nurse was also ordered to pay £500 in compensation to Mr Smith and was given a three-year restraining order against him and his mother.
A spokesperson for Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust said Gregory had been suspended pending the police investigation and that it would now ‘conclude its own internal investigation’.
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