Teacher pretended to have skin cancer in £20k crowdfunding con that even fooled her parents
Keera Brayford's phoney JustGiving page claimed she 'always puts others before herself'
A TEACHER conned friends, relatives and pupils out of £20,000 in a crowdfunding scam by pretending she had skin cancer, a court heard yesterday.
Keera Brayford, 25, set up a JustGiving page asking for donations after claiming she was battling three inoperable tumours.
She deceived hundreds of generous well-wishers - including her parents and some of her students - with faked doctors notes and an emotional story about her non-existent condition.
Brayford wrote she needed cash for alternative therapies because her chemotherapy treatment was making her too ill.
Her page, which was titled "Cancer doesn't have a face unless it's yours or someone you know", raked in almost £20,000.
It claimed that "Keera always puts others before herself" and that she needed cash to give her the "best chance" of survival.
Some of Bayford's pals even organised charity fundraisers, with one raising £2,000 with a sponsored parachute jump.
But they had been hoodwinked by Bayford, who was in fact using the dosh to pay off credit card bills and buy clothes online.
However, her con was foiled when colleagues at The Sutton Academy in St Helens, Merseyside, began suspecting she had used school computers to fake doctors notes.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that despite being suspended and the police being called in, Bayford insisted she was ill.
It was only when presented with her own NHS notes that she admitted to the con.
Bayford, of Whiston, Merseyside, was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years, after admitting fraud between March and September this year.
She was pictured sobbing yesterday outside the court as she smoked a cigarette.
Recorder Kate Cornell told Brayford her behaviour had been "despicable".
The judge said: "This was a sophisticated fraud.
"You forged letters and sick notes from your GP and letters from the Macmillan charity.
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"You made heartfelt pleas saying you needed breathing space to fight cancer and get alternative treatment as, in your words, 'chemo not working'.
"There was no diagnosis, no chemotherapy, no treatment. Your parents even believed you were attending a cancer centre. You were not."
Amy Butler, defending, said Bayford suffered from mental health issues. "She is extremely remorseful," she said.
Adding: "She will never be able to work as a teacher again. She is devastated that she finds herself in this position."
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