This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-27868511

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Fake surrogate mother Louise Pollard jailed Fake surrogate mother Louise Pollard jailed
(35 minutes later)
A woman who pretended to be a surrogate mother and took money from two couples has been jailed for three years and four months.A woman who pretended to be a surrogate mother and took money from two couples has been jailed for three years and four months.
Louise Pollard, 28, from Plymouth, had admitted three charges of fraud at an earlier hearing at Bristol Crown Court.Louise Pollard, 28, from Plymouth, had admitted three charges of fraud at an earlier hearing at Bristol Crown Court.
In one case she had faked a doctor's letter claiming she was pregnant, the court heard. In one instance, she had faked a doctor's letter claiming she was pregnant, the court heard.
After being paid by the couples, she claimed she had miscarriages. One couple from Cornwall paid her £10,185.After being paid by the couples, she claimed she had miscarriages. One couple from Cornwall paid her £10,185.
Mother-of-two Pollard, from Higher Efford Road, offered herself as a surrogate mother to the couples in 2012. Pollard, from Higher Efford Road, who had been a personal assistant, offered herself as a surrogate mother to the couples in 2012.
Prosecutors said she played on the couples' "desire to have children". She told the Cornish couple she was pregnant with their child on two occasions that year.
She kept asking for money for rent, to fix her car and for other expenses, the court heard.
As part of her frauds, Pollard claimed one pregnancy ended as a result after a car accident, but no trace of a collision was ever found, the court was told.
Prosecuting, Rosie Collins said: "She played on their desire to have children. She holds all the cards and they have to work on trust."
'Breathtaking deception'
Defending, Jason Taylor told the court she had been a genuine surrogate, having had two such babies previously.
However, in these cases, she used money paid to play debts run up by drugs, he said.
Passing sentence, Judge Graham Cottle said: "Using your skills as a fraudster, you earned their trust.
"You carried out one breathtaking deception after another, making them believe that you were going to provide them with what they desperately wanted."
He added it was "not a case of financial loss, it's a case of two desperate couples being taken in by you and your lies.
"Yes, they have lost money, but they have ended up heartbroken," he said.