Student fakes terminal illness to con her lecturer

Melisandre121

This is absolutely insane.

http://m.independent.ie/life/teacher-loses-marriage-home-and-job-after-student-fakes-terminal-cancer-to-get-her-to-look-after-her-34304556.html

MOD
Adding in some details of the article.
Headline:

Teacher loses marriage, home and job after student fakes terminal cancer to get her to look after her

Opening Para:

A “heartless” student who ruined her female lecturer’s life by faking terminal cancer before conning her until she lost her marriage, home and job has been jailed for two years.

MaryAntoinette

Terrible altogether, shocking.

Q_Ball

I bet she'll come dead last in her class

DopeTech

That is seriously f**ked up. Who the hell does things like that.

Gaygooner

If it was in a soap you wouldn't believe it

Dirty Dingus McGee

This sounds very harsh but was your one not a bit of a sap to fall for all this.


I feel sorry for her but she seems ridiculously naive.To take anyone into your home unless you know them extremely well and no their family in my opinion is just insanity.

Stheno

I was gobsmacked at the victims naivety tbh

Melisandre121

"Pretending she was in constant pain, Bianco started sleeping in Mrs Retallack’s bed so Sally could care for her 24 hours a day."

I mean, wow.

bobbysands81

Mental illness is a terrible for anyone to battle through.

Faking serious illness is something that happens to a minority of people who have mental illness as part of their make up. Unfortunately it being sensationalised by parts of the media makes it even harder for the general public to understand and for those suffering it to get help.

Melisandre121

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Mental illness is a terrible for anyone to battle through.

Faking serious illness is something that happens to a minority of people who have mental illness as part of their make up. Unfortunately it being sensationalised by parts of the media makes it even harder for the general public to understand and for those suffering it to get help.

I would view her behaviour as psychopathic, not mentally ill.

Hammer89

bobbysands81 wrote: »

Mental illness is a terrible for anyone to battle through.

Faking serious illness is something that happens to a minority of people who have mental illness as part of their make up. Unfortunately it being sensationalised by parts of the media makes it even harder for the general public to understand and for those suffering it to get help.

I like this empathetic approach. This story is so f*cked up that the student clearly isn't playing with a full deck. She can't be. It's easy to have a shoot-on-sight policy and crucify her, but as himself says, she's got mental issues.

Hammer89

Melisandre121 wrote: »

I would view her behaviour as psychopathic, not mentally ill.

Are psychopaths not mentally ill?

The Backwards Man

I think this proves how cynicism is a default trait for us here, but it also shows you how it isn't a universal attitude worldwide.

Long live cynicism.

Melisandre121

Hammer89 wrote: »

Are psychopaths not mentally ill?

No, Psycopathy isn't a mental illness. Psychopaths are well aware of everything they're doing and are extremely manipulative.

Stheno

Hammer89 wrote: »

Are psychopaths not mentally ill?

No it's estimated that something like 90% of world/work leaders are psychopaths

There's a kink that makes the truly evil ones go nuts.

The_Valeyard

Read like Steven Kings 'Misery' freaky stuff.

Melisandre121

Stheno wrote: »

No it's estimated that something like 90% of world/work leaders are psychopaths

There's a kink that makes the truly evil ones go nuts.

They become dangerous if they have the Psychopath gene and also suffer a serious trauma in early childhood. Don't ask me how I know so much about Psychopaths!

Hammer89

Stheno wrote: »

No it's estimated that something like 90% of world/work leaders are psychopaths

There's a kink that makes the truly evil ones go nuts.

Not everybody on the planet is a world leader though. So in the scheme of things, what percentage of people are psychopaths? If it's bizarrely low, it's hard to argue that they're normal and not afflicted with a mental illness.

Theboybang

I saw this earlier today. What a horrible horrible person and she didn't get nearly enough time in the slammer. Karma is a b*tch though!

Insect Overlord

Hammer89 wrote: »

Not everybody on the planet is a world leader though. So in the scheme of things, what percentage of people are psychopaths? If it's bizarrely low, it's hard to argue that they're normal and not afflicted with a mental illness.

Approximately 1% of the population, I believe.

MilesMorales1

Is this girl not absolutely off her head though? Or she's cold as ice, I couldn't do that, my conscience would wreck me it would, not her apparently.

Hammer89

An File wrote: »

Approximately 1% of the population, I believe.

If that's accurate then it's far too low to consider it normal. And if it's not normal then we're probably talking disorders.

brokensoul84

Sounds like a scene from the Widower about Malcolm Webster.
Good god, she had major issues not just psychiatric.

lazybones32

Theboybang wrote: »

I saw this earlier today. What a horrible horrible person and she didn't get nearly enough time in the slammer. Karma is a b*tch though!

And what evil did the manipulated woman do that karma decided she deserved this? What goes around comes around, right?

Theboybang

lazybones32 wrote: »

And what evil did the manipulated woman do that karma decided she deserved this? What goes around comes around, right?

I was talking about the girl not the lecturer

My name is URL

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

Is this girl not absolutely off her head though? Or she's cold as ice, I couldn't do that, my conscience would wreck me it would, not her apparently.

I'd say they're both off their heads

PandaPoo

Theboybang wrote: »

I was talking about the girl not the lecturer

You missed his point entirely. He was asking if this incident was karmic retribution for something the lecturer did previously, because that's how karma works.

MilesMorales1

My name is URL wrote: »

I'd say they're both off their heads

Yeah but still.

SMJSF

It's sad, but after reading it, I actually know someone who is the exactly the same in lying and making up stories about people who are close to them dying for attention in the recent years and I've have only copped on to it in the recent months.
:-/.

Sunflower 27

I think tbe girl said she only had a few months to live and had been kicked out of home. Anyone hearing that story would believe it. I mean, how many people would make that up?

I think it unfair to call the teacher naive. She clearly felt responsible for this younger woman.

Just a really sad story.

topmanamillion

This is text book Munchausen syndrome
"Munchausen syndrome is a psychiatric factitious disorder wherein those affected feign disease, illness, or psychological trauma to draw attention, sympathy, or reassurance to themselves."

I have a friend who went to college with a girl who faked having cancer. She went as far as shaving her head and eating a reduced diet.

starry_eyed

That is horrible, she ruined that woman's life for no reason and took advantage of her kindness. Sick bitch.

Pure prank.

darkpagandeath

Maybe not just believe what people say ? Teacher seems to be a complete idiot with no life skills.

Buona Fortuna

I can see a film script here.

was the student not just adopting the 'sick role' in a desperate need for love and attention, so it was a metal health issue. Its very creepy and she obliviously knew how to pick her victim it would be interesting to know more about her background.

LeeLooLee

An File wrote: »

Approximately 1% of the population, I believe.

That's actually quite a lot of people though. 10 psychopaths in my village. :eek:

LeeLooLee

mariaalice wrote: »

was the student not just adopting the 'sick role' in a desperate need for love and attention, so it was a metal health issue. Its very creepy and she obliviously knew how to pick her victim it would be interesting to know more about her background.

And the question is, why would you bother??? A 'normal' young woman would be busy with her friends, boyfriend, having fun. Not sitting in a hospital cafe pretending to be terminally ill.

darkpagandeath

LeeLooLee wrote: »

That's actually quite a lot of people though. 10 psychopaths in my village. :eek:

Psychopath is chucked around far to much, There are very dangerous diagnosis yes. Most are just very black and white and very good at making decision. People hear Psychopath and think chopping up people and painting the blood on the walls.

Little CuChulainn

Hammer89 wrote: »

Are psychopaths not mentally ill?

No, they are just wired differently, like paedophiles. Some people are just born bad and there is no fixing them.

asherbassad

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

This sounds very harsh but was your one not a bit of a sap to fall for all this.


I feel sorry for her but she seems ridiculously naive.To take anyone into your home unless you know them extremely well and no their family in my opinion is just insanity.

Ah yes.....blame the victim. There's always one.

asherbassad

Stheno wrote: »

No it's estimated that something like 90% of world/work leaders are psychopaths

There's a kink that makes the truly evil ones go nuts.

Is that not sociopaths?

asherbassad

asherbassad wrote: »

Ah yes.....blame the victim. There's always one.

Well maybe, but what were the factors in the victim that made the perpetrator pick them?, it is odd that she didn't make any enquiries in to the girls background before she invited her to live with her. Maybe she had some need she had fulfilled by helping this girl.

tritium

Its easy to say the victim was naive here but it doesn't factor in his total and overwhelming the degree of manipulation is in cases like this. Remember that she was living with this evil bitch so basically was subject to her influence on a full time basis. I'd consider it a form of brainwashing in some ways, where the proximity of the abuser gives them much more scope to control the abuse.

Its also IMHO frustrating when people default to making excuses for the abuser - she has mental issues etc. It seems to be a social conditioning we've all embraced in the last few years that every time certain types of criminal get caught we default to how they're vulnerable or a victim themselves. It actually cheapens cases where there is genuinely an underlying issue that was missed at some point. The reality is some people do evil things and society needs face up to that- pretty much everyone who commits crime could point to factors that made them the person they are, but not everyone with those factors make those choices.

My take is a far longer sentence would have been appropriate here

GLaDOS

That is one of the most bizzare cases I've ever read about.

Regarding psychopathy, I don't believe psychologists distinguish it from sociopathy.

Gael23

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

This sounds very harsh but was your one not a bit of a sap to fall for all this.


I feel sorry for her but she seems ridiculously naive.To take anyone into your home unless you know them extremely well and no their family in my opinion is just insanity.

My thoughts as well. Most people would put 2 and 2 together at some stage.

tritium

tritium wrote: »

Its easy to say the victim was naive here but it doesn't factor in his total and overwhelming the degree of manipulation is in cases like this. Remember that she was living with this evil bitch so basically was subject to her influence on a full time basis. I'd consider it a form of brainwashing in some ways, where the proximity of the abuser gives them much more scope to control the abuse.

Its also IMHO frustrating when people default to making excuses for the abuser - she has mental issues etc. It seems to be a social conditioning we've all embraced in the last few years that every time certain types of criminal get caught we default to how they're vulnerable or a victim themselves. It actually cheapens cases where there is genuinely an underlying issue that was missed at some point. The reality is some people do evil things and society needs face up to that- pretty much everyone who commits crime could point to factors that made them the person they are, but not everyone with those factors make those choices.

My take is a far longer sentence would have been appropriate here

Having mental health issues is not an excuses for braking the law, it is just a
acknowledgement that they have mental health issues they are still subject to the law by society.

It is not an either or situation.

tritium

mariaalice wrote: »

Having mental health issues is not an excuses for braking the law, it is just a
acknowledgement that they have mental health issues they are still subject to the law by society.

It is not an either or situation.

I actually fully agree with you. However we have moved to a situation where for many advocates it actually is an excuse, a mitigant, a reason to temper justice. Frankly it gets a bit jaded when case after case comes accompanied by a long and favourable psychiatric report outlying the perpetrators courageous journey to righteousness. In some cases they can even have several of these journeys over their criminal career. As I said it actually cheapens the genuine cases that need to properly addressed because the default becomes a lesser sentence rather than ensuring appropriate treatment is provided

wakka12

Hammer89 wrote: »

Are psychopaths not mentally ill?

I don't believe so. Its not an 'illness' , just a state of being. It is the lack of ability to feel remorse or empathise with other human beings, I don't believe there is any way of improving the 'condition'

Being a psychopath isn't ideal, if there were many more in society than there are Im sure it would lead to some kind of break down of the good human nature we rely on in each other for society to work. But if theyre not doing anything illegal, which most psychopaths do not, then theres no reason to call it an illness.

wakka12

Hammer89 wrote: »

Not everybody on the planet is a world leader though. So in the scheme of things, what percentage of people are psychopaths? If it's bizarrely low, it's hard to argue that they're normal and not afflicted with a mental illness.

I don't think affliction rates are a good gauge of whether something should be classed as a mental illness or not. Being a psychopath has a relatively small impact on the quality of life of the person affected when compared to other mental illnesses such as depression or schizophrenia. Being transgender is much less than 1% of the population and has a largely negative impact on the quality of life of a person but it is not a mental illness obviously

wakka12

Little CuChulainn wrote: »

No, they are just wired differently, like paedophiles. Some people are just born bad and there is no fixing them.

Being a paedophile doesn't make you a bad person. Thats along the lines of people in the past thinking gay people were bad just for being gay. Paedophiles can't help it, and their sexual orientation isn't harming children as long as they don't act on it.
Child molesters are disgusting people, paedophiles are not. Paedophiles need help and guidance, not to be marginalised from society. That will only lead them to feel even worse than they probably already do about themselves.