She left a man seriously ill after pretending to be a kidney donor following a Belfast Live appeal falsely saying she was a donor match.
A “wicked” East Belfast woman who left a man seriously ill after pretending to be a kidney donor has been jailed for five months after her appeal was rejected today.
Last year, Nicola Hutton of Strandburn Drive, was convicted of a false communication offence after she pretended to be a kidney donor to severely ill Billy Cullen who was in urgent need of transplant. She had led on Billy and his wife Joanne for six months after coming to them following a Belfast Live appeal saying she was a donor match.
In July last year, Hutton received a five month prison sentence with Judge Francis Rafferty saying: “I do not recall encountering a series of acts or behaviour of such abject wickedness in many a long year.”
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However, the East Belfast woman immediately appealed the conviction and sentence and was released on bail.
On Friday, January 30, Hutton appeared at Laganside Court again for her appeal hearing where she withdrew her appeal against the conviction and only appealed the sentencing, with her defence solicitor asking the judge to suspend her sentence. He cited caring responsibilities for her son and parents as the reason for this, saying a prison sentence would have an adverse impact on them.
The judge outlined the reasons why Hutton could receive a suspended sentence, noting the caring responsibilities that she had before rejecting her sentence appeal saying that her actions were “so disruptive” and induced such serious trauma and danger that they warranted a custodial sentence.
He endorsed the sentence of the previous court, with Hutton finally receiving her five-month sentence immediately.
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