A young mum infiltrated families of grieving parents who had lost their children and stole cash she raised in their memories. Chanel Bailey, of Martinmass Close, Lenton, was jailed for 27 months at Nottingham Crown Court as a judge described her "animal cunning".
Bailey targeted Carla Dawson and Natalie Thompson - both Nottinghamshire mums whose daughters tragically died in separate, heartbreaking circumstances. It began when Bailey contacted Mrs Dawson out of the blue via Facebook as two-year-old daughter Jorja-Rose battled a brain tumour which was to eventually claim her life.
Bailey posted she was, "crying about Jorja-Rose" before she died, and visited the Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, to sit in the ward, claiming, falsely, to be family of Mrs Dawson. The distraught family asked her to leave. When the landlady of Bulwell's Moon and Stars pub organised a sponsored walk to raise money for Jorja-Rose, Bailey, claiming to be her aunt, said she would take part and was also doing a sponsored head shave and collecting money.
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Prosecutor Joey Kwong said Bailey, who stole £100 from the charity event, never had her head shaved. After the pub fundraiser, she returned home to an assisted living project with shopping bags and said she wanted a takeaway - things Bailey could not afford on her allowance.
When Jorja-Rose died, Mrs Dawson, of Hempshill Vale, posted a picture of her on Facebook. Bailey copied this and posted it on her Facebook page, which left Mrs Dawson feeling "sick" as she grieved her beloved child.
Mrs Dawson said after Bailey was sentenced: "I am relieved she has gone to jail. I feel I was so naïve. She contacted me on Facebook. Lots of people warned me about her. She even turned up at the hospital.
"I didn't really know her. She told people she was Jorja-Rose's aunt. She revelled in the attention." With her husband Lee, Mrs Dawson set up the Jorja-Rose Foundation to raise much-needed funds for the iMRI., and has a JustGiving page where cash can be pledged.
Bailey, 26, also defrauded mum, Natalie Thompson, out of £1,000 after they became friends following the birth of their children in hospital. Miss Thompson 32, of Bingham, told Nottinghamshire Live, daughter Sofia Blackner, was born prematurely at 25 weeks and six days but had complications with her bowels.
They were told their daughter would be coming home, but then the problem returned and both bowels were removed. The couple were given the devastating news there was nothing medics could do for her.
"We took the decision to turn everything off," explained Natalie, who attended court with her partner and dad to Sofia, Ben Blackner, 37. Bailey moved into action and set up a JustGiving page to pay for a headstone, without Miss Thompson's permission, and friends and family donated just under £1,000.
On the day of Sofia's funeral the couple learned Bailey, who the court heard has relatively low intellectual functioning, had closed the page and taken the money. "I can't stand her," said Miss Thompson. "I am absolutely disgusted".
Bailey, who attended court with her support worker, is in supported accommodation and control over her own finances is limited.
Judge Stuart Rafferty QC sentenced Bailey to nine months for theft and 18 months consecutively for the fraud, offences which were previously admitted. He said she had latched on to people who had suffered enormous loss and he sentenced her on the basis, "That you have animal cunning; that you targeted these vulnerable women, knowing them to be vulnerable and knowing more than most people they were vulnerable".
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