Heavily pregnant cancer faker who pretended she was dying to scam well-wishers out of $55,000 appeals against her sentence ‘because it’s too harsh’
- Lucy Victoria Weiland was sentenced to two years in jail on August 4 over scam
- Eight-months-pregnant scammer was ordered to pay back more than $29,000
- Wieland last week appealed sentence saying ruling was 'manifestly excessive'
- Barrister said she had rare mental health illness called Munchausen syndrome
A heavily pregnant woman who conned well-wishers out of $55,000 by pretending to be battling cancer has appealed against her two-year jail sentence, claiming it is far too severe.
Lucy Victoria Wieland, 28, scammed her kind victims, including her ex-boyfriend, Australian Defence Force soldier Bradley Congerton, posing as a cancer victim.
The eight-months-pregnant fraudster was sentenced to two years in prison on August 4 after pleading guilty to six fraud charges and one count of possessing a restricted drug.
Wieland last Friday appealed her sentence by submitting documents to to the Townsville District Court contesting the 'manifestly excessive' ruling.
Lucy Victoria Wieland, 28, (pictured) was given a two-year prison sentence after faking she had ovarian cancer and pleading guilty to six fraud charges
Lucy Victoria Wieland (pictured, right) even conned her doting boyfriend Bradley James Congerton (left)
Her barrister had told the court Wieland had a rare mental health illness, The Townsville Bulletin reported.
The defence barrister Michael Hibble told the court an assessment found his client was suffering from a rare factitious mental disorder known as Munchausen syndrome and the scam 'snowballed' out of control as community sympathy grew.
'She had no control of how generous the Townsville community would be in relation to the donations,' Mr Hibble told the court.
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The convicted conwoman had told police she could not even remember deceiving her family and friends, who she told she had ovarian cancer in 2018.
So committed was Wieland to the scam that she went as far as shaving her head, posted photos of herself receiving treatment on social media and set up a Go FundMe page.
The court also heard Wieland forged a doctor's letter and lied about her illness on medical forms when she donated blood several times.
Lucy Victoria Wieland (pictured) posted photos of herself receiving treatment on social media to convince family and friends she had ovarian cancer in 2018
Wieland (pictured) went to great lengths to convince family and friends of her ovarian cancer diagnosis
Weiland (pictured) has said her prison sentence is 'manifestly excessive' and formally appealed the ruling
In sentencing, Magistrate Viviana Keegan described Wieland's deception as 'beyond significant', the ABC reported.
'There's also an extraordinary breach of trust to members of the public, who were empathetic towards you … and gave up money to try and help you when it was all just a lie,' she told Wieland.
The court also heard Wieland forged a doctor's letter and lied about her illness on medical forms when she donated blood several times.
Wieland will give birth to her first child in October and will be eligible for parole in February next year.
