Surrogate mother jailed for faking pregnancies

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/16/surrogate-mother-louise-pollard-jailed

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A woman who achieved notoriety by agreeing to act as a surrogate mother for one of Osama bin Laden's sons has been jailed for faking pregnancies to trick desperate prospective parents out of thousands of pounds.

Louise Pollard, 28, from Plymouth, pretended to inseminate herself before telling couples that she was expecting their child but would then "milk" her victims by saying she needed money to maintain her car or had fallen behind on her rent. Bristol crown court was told Pollard's scam was uncovered when a pregnancy confirmation letter she sent to one of the couples was found to be a forgery. Pollard was jailed for three years and four months for fraud by false representation.

In 2010, Pollard hit the headlines over her arrangement to carry a child for Omar bin Laden and his wife, Zaina. She later claimed she had miscarried twins after being attacked while visiting the Middle East.

The following year she agreed to act as a surrogate mother for Josephine and Keith Barnett.

Rosaleen Collins, prosecuting, said: "There followed an agonising series of events designed to milk the couple, taking advantage of their desperate wish to have a child and preying on their good nature."

The Barnetts gave Pollard a total of £10,000 but two days after asking to see a photograph of Pollard's 11-week scan, she claimed she had been in a car crash and had lost the baby.

In 2012, Pollard said she would act as a surrogate for Winston and Debra Kaba, who were unable to conceive after the birth of their first child. She took £5,000 from them before they asked for a GP's letter confirming the pregnancy. Mr Kaba was suspicious and discovered the letter was a forgery.

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Barnett said she was receiving medication for depression following the ordeal. Collins said it was "incomprehensible" to the couples that someone would lie about "something so sensitive and so precious."

Jailing Pollard, Judge Graham Cottle said her actions were "deliberate, sustained, callous acts" that had left both families devastated. Police believe the Bin Ladens could have been victims of Pollard's scam though she has not been prosecuted over her involvement with them.