Cheated blogger sentenced to 275,000 euros fine for invented cancer

Court condemns health blogger to pay 275,000 euros

Some people pretend to be suffering. Such people suffer from a mental illness. But there are even people who pretend to have a serious illness to pull the money of other people out of their pockets. They play with the empathy of the opposite. That's what happened in Australia. The case caused a stir and landed in court.

In Australia, a young blogger was convicted because she invented a cancer that she claims to have cured with a special natural therapy. However, Annabelle Natalie Gibson has never been diagnosed with cancer and has apparently used the alleged disease only to enrich herself.

Hundreds of thousands of euros have "Belle" Gibson earned by selling books and health apps by inventing a cancer and its subsequent healing. Now, the young woman was sentenced to a fine of about € 275,000 before the Federal Court of Australia. The court followed most of the allegations made by the director of consumer affairs in Victoria, who had filed the lawsuit. The blogger has never had cancer, and has not passed on the monies as donations, as originally promised, according to the court's ruling.

Brain tumor invented to sell books?

Federal Judge Debbie Mortimer said in her ruling that the accused was guilty on most, but not all, points. The 25-year-olds have demonstrably lied about a brain tumor in relation to the disease and then enriched by the sale of books and apps. Of the funds raised, she had donated only a small fraction to non-profit organizations, although she initially pledged to channel much of the money. Overall, the blogger now has to pay 410,000 Australian dollars (about 273,000 euros) penalty.

Deception of the consumers

Whether the defendant himself knew from the outset that she is healthy, or whether she has actually imagined the disease of a brain tumor, should not be clarified conclusively, the court in the judgment now published. "It seems open, at least in some ways, to see if Mrs. Gibson has suffered a series of delusions about her condition," said Judge Debbie Mortimer. In any case, however, she had deceived consumers and fooled about a cancer cure through measures such as a healthy diet and Ayurvedic medicine. She then personally enriched herself with books and apps on these methods without donating much of the money as promised. (Fp)