Carla Louise Evans, 29, of Trecenydd Caerphilly, Wales, pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation on November 9 2018
A cancer con bride who faked having just six months to live to get a £15,000 dream wedding ceremony walked free from court today.
Mother-of-two Carla Louise Evans, 29, from Trecenydd, Caerphilly, Wales, told the Wish For A Wedding charity that she had terminal bladder cancer, thyroid cancer along with liver and kidney failure in order to get her dream ceremony.
But a court heard Evans wasn’t suffering from the illnesses – and even forged doctor signatures to dupe the charity.
Evans pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation on November 9 2018 and was warned she could have gone to prison.
She was given a one-year sentence suspended for 15 months at Newport Crown Court, a £340 fine and must carry out 120 hours of community service.
Evans was asked to pay just £500 for a vow renewal ceremony worth £15,000 with the charity arranging the rest of the bash.
She forged the signature of consultant urologist Adam Carter from Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital to dupe the charity over the service to renew their vows after 10 years wed.
Evans arriving at Newport Crown Court today. She was given a one-year sentence suspended for 15 months, a £340 fine and must carry out 120 hours of community service
Evans claimed to have terminal bladder cancer and thyroid cancer along with liver and kidney failure in order to get her dream ceremony through the charity, Wish For A Wedding, who would put £15,000 towards the renewal of her vows
Prosecutor Andrew Gwynne told the court she had tried to scam Wish For A Wedding but she wasn’t suffering from either illness.
He added that the consultant urologist knew nothing about the letter she forged with his signature.
The Manchester-based charity funds between five and ten weddings every year for couples facing a terminal illness.
Evans posted on social media claiming she was dying – and was contacted by a volunteer from the charity.
Evans posted on social media that she was dying and was contacted by a volunteer from the charity
She said: ‘I have recently been told that I am terminally ill so have had to arrange the wedding for short notice. It would be 15th February.
‘My condition could worsen at any time there could be a chance I might not make February and would have to cancel at short notice.’
Evans claimed she had been married for ten years and the charity offered to organise a vow renewal ceremony worth £15,000.
They asked for just £500 toward the cost and asked for proof of her diagnosis in return.
Outlining her diagnosis in her application she wrote that she had been ‘given a time scale of 6 months maximum’ – and even mispelled ‘cancer’ by missing out the letter ‘e’.
Evans even said she was ‘disgusted’ when she was told some people had tried scamming the charity in the past.
She said: ‘That’s disgusting!! Makes me angry that people can con other when me and my husband have worked hard all our lives!!’
Evans told volunteers from the Wish For A Wedding charity that she was terminally ill and needed to arrange a wedding at ‘short notice’
Wish For A Wedding made a routine check with the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, South Wales, and discovered the mother-of-two was not a cancer patient
Evans’ story unravelled when she forged a letter from an NHS consultant prompting an investigation. The charity began to question her account and police were contacted.
Lisa Bennett, from the CPS said: ‘Carla Evans callously took advantage of the sympathy afforded to a dying lady to try and con a very small charity out of money.
‘Our prosecution was able to uncover the lies but the depths she was willing to stoop have caused great hurt and damage to the charity volunteers who believed her and gave up significant time and money to support someone they thought was gravely ill.
‘We hope this conviction will bring some sense of justice to them.’
Rachael Kirkwood, who set up the charity, said after the case: ‘This woman sent in an application saying she had a terminal illness.
‘We always check to make sure they have the condition and they only have a few months to live.
‘We brought in the police after doing checks on Carla Evans’s application and finding out she had lied.’