TIMMINS, Ont. - 21-year-old woman who faked cancer to defraud people in northern Ontario has been handed six months of house arrest, with special provisions made after she told court she's pregnant.
Jessica Ann Leeder admitted in court last month that she defrauded co-workers at a Ford dealership of more than $5,000.
She pretended to have lung and stomach cancer for close to a year, while accepting support, including money, from the community.
She faced a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison, but the Crown indicated before today's hearing that Leeder would not face significant jail time.
A Timmins, Ont., court heard today that Leeder is pregnant and her sentence was tailored to her medical needs.
For the first three months Leeder is under 24-hour house arrest and can only leave the home for medical emergencies, except for Saturdays when she can leave from 9 a.m. to midnight for personal business.
The three months that follow that will see Leeder under house arrest from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m. That will be followed by a year's probation, including 100 hours of community service and a prohibition on alcohol.
The court recommended Leeder do her community service with the Canadian Cancer Society.
"I'm very sorry for the actions I've done and I want the chance to make things right," Leeder told Judge Martin Lambert.
The judge noted Leeder spent "five hard days" in jail and took the guilty plea into account, saying it showed remorse.
The Crown told the court it could not verify the pregnancy.
Leeder's guilty plea followed another conviction in southern Ontario in which a young woman also claimed to have cancer. Ashley Kirilow of Burlington pleaded guilty to fraud over $5,000 and still faces six other fraud charges.
And, Toronto police have charged Christopher Gordon, 39, with fraud after allegedly pretending to have terminal brain cancer.
