Mother faked cancer diagnosis for son and obtained €358,000 in donations
A 42-year-old woman is facing trial at Giessen Regional Court after allegedly fabricating her son's cancer diagnosis for years. She is accused of obtaining approximately €358,000 in donation funds through fraud.
Trial in Giessen: mother accused of fabricating terminally ill child
Donation campaigns on the internet, fundraising runs at school, alleged calls for help for a terminally ill boy: 42-year-old Vanessa O. has been answering charges since this week at Giessen Regional Court. According to the indictment, she allegedly faked her son's cancer diagnosis over many years and fraudulently obtained approximately €358,000 in donation funds, as reported by 20 Minuten.
The case begins in January 2021. The woman brought her five-year-old son to Marburg University Hospital because of a noticeable skin lesion. The doctors classified the finding as harmless — as did a subsequent examination at a Swiss clinic.
Nevertheless, Vanessa O. allegedly forged a doctor's letter afterwards, bearing the letterhead of the Swiss clinic. In it, her son was diagnosed with skin cancer. She presented the letter to her husband, her parents and the child's school.
Using this fabricated medical history, the defendant allegedly deceived charitable organisations, private donors and the boy's social circle over many years according to the public prosecutor's office. She increasingly portrayed the alleged illness progression more dramatically and eventually claimed her son suffered from leukaemia. The child himself believed until the end that he was terminally ill and would soon die.
In March 2024, doubts first arose. A paediatrician found the medical history implausible and involved the youth welfare office. Investigations confirmed: the boy never had cancer. At the hospital, he said according to the indictment: "I will not die, I am not sick." The youth welfare office subsequently took him into care.
The public prosecutor charges Vanessa O. with commercial fraud in 13 cases as well as falsifying documents on two counts. In court, the 42-year-old confessed and showed remorse.
Source: 20 Minuten