A Calgary woman who pretended to have cancer and claimed to be a Fort McMurray wildfire evacuee to cash in on donations has been given a two-year suspended sentence.
Jennifer Halford, 35, entered guilty pleas last year on seven counts of fraud.
Halford claimed she had aggressive breast cancer and that she and her family had lost everything in the northern Alberta wildfire in spring 2016.
She received donations including gift cards, food, clothing, babysitting services and beauty treatments.
The Crown said Halford was going through depression when she committed the crimes. He said her motivation was not greed, but a way to gain the attention and support she felt she needed.
On Monday, Halford wept in the prisoner box as the Crown laid out his position based on two long-awaited medical reports.
Court heard Halford had faced significant trauma throughout her life; as a child she was the victim of abuse and later in life, her five-year-old daughter died.
The psychiatric and psychological reports stated Halford suffered from a major depressive illness following the death of her daughter.
According to the reports, Halford had gained a significant amount of weight and after losing it, she underwent surgery. It’s at that time the report suggests Halford started feeling pain in her breast.
Halford underwent five surgeries and believed that one day, she would eventually be diagnosed with breast cancer.
Halford’s lawyer said she has been going for counselling.
– With files from Tracy Nagai
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