Spurned woman pretended she'd given birth to ex's baby and made his 'life hell'
A jilted woman pretended she had given birth to her ex-boyfriend's baby following an acrimonious breakup.
Stephanie Mahoney, 32, was spared jail yesterday despite subjecting her former partner and his mum to a "campaign of harassment" in the aftermath of their split. A court heard mum-to-one Mahoney "made his life hell" by bombarding them with a string of vile messages on Facebook and Instagram, "lying about being pregnant" and posting pictures of aborted foetuses online while alleging he had "bullied" her into having a termination.
But District Judge Gwyn Jones suspended Mahoney's 18-month jail sentence for 18 months at Liverpool Crown Court. The judge said: "The court and society take offences of this nature very, very seriously. You have heard the impact it has had not only on the male you were in a relationship with, but the extended family. There was a significant risk that others may have taken the law into their hands and act. It is extremely fortunate for you that people did not act on the comments you made."
The man, whose name we have decided not to publish, had dated Mahoney from around July 2020 to July 2021. Simon Leong, prosecuting, described how Mahoney "claimed she was pregnant with his child, however that did not salvage the relationship". After their breakup, she "began a campaign of harassment and stalking" against both him and his mum. This included posting his home address, where he lived with his 84-year-old grandma, to Facebook and Instagram alongside "false allegations" he had "forced her to get an abortion".
Mahoney, from Wavertree, Liverpool, was said to have created dozens of fake accounts on the two social media platforms and sent a string of distressing messages to him, his relatives and friends. She eventually "turned her attention" to his mum as he "did not have much social media presence" and posted "a number of disturbing and unpleasant photographs, including of aborted foetuses".
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The mum, pictured outside court, pretended she had given birth to her ex-boyfriend's baby (Liverpool Echo)One was accompanied with the caption "this is what [former partner's mum] wants her grandchild to look like, in pieces". In another post, she added: "Why do you want your grandchild to be ripped apart?"
In one post in September 2021, accompanied by the complainant's address, Mahoney said "let's get the truth out once and for all" and branded him a "bully" who had been "s***ging all kinds of dirty s**gs". Another, in February 2022, she stated: "This is the boy who gets girls pregnant and then bullies them into abortions."
Mahoney again posted his address and urged others to "get down there". In another post, she added: "It's all going off tonight." She meanwhile posted pictures of a newborn child online and said: "[Former partner's mum] wanted this child killed. He is an innocent new born baby boy." Mr Leong told the court: "It was always refuted by [former partner] that there was ever such a baby and that any such child was born."
Mahoney's behaviour was subsequently reported to the police, and the fake accounts were linked to her IP address. She denied being responsible under interview and claimed that her ex was "behind all the fake profiles and this was his attempt to get at her".
The courts then imposed a stalking protection order on her in December 2022. This banned her from contacting her victims and having more than one profile on any given social media platform - but she still "retained multiple accounts", including one which branded the mum a "grandchild killer".
In a statement which was read out to the court on behalf of Mahoney's former partner, he stated that she had posted pictures of him and his family members on a "paedophile page" and that her actions had led to him being admitted to hospital due to stress. He alleged she had also sent him "fake baby scans" and "falsely claimed she was a nurse", and said she had subjected him to the months of abuse "because she couldn't have what she wanted".
His statement added: "No one should have to suffer like this. She lied about being pregnant on more than five occasions. I was walking on eggshells constantly. She's made my life hell, and that's what she wanted to do. This has destroyed my family. I have never had to deal with anything like this before. Going through a situation like this has made my life a total living hell. My mum was no more than a stranger to her.
"She has never done anything to her. Never did I think I would have to drag my family through court because of a girl I got involved with stupidly."
His mum meanwhile said in her statement that she had "counted around 25 fake accounts" targeting her and her son and added: "To be accused of these horrific things is unbearable, I have been unable to sleep and am constantly worried about my elderly mum. I'm a shadow of myself."
Mahoney has no previous convictions. Kate Morley, defending, said on her behalf: "What would possess a 32-year-old lady of previous impeccable character in productive employment and who has positively contributed to society to embark on this atrocious behaviour?
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"The answer is likely to be that she was so emotionally traumatised, hurt and at an all-time low with feelings of abandonment that she emotionally lashed out and regrettably caused deep hurt and distress. She must have wanted to lessen her pain by transferring it to others.
"The termination of a baby was such an emotional experience that her mental state was fragile and her historically sound common sense was totally discarded. She couldn't control her emotions, hormones causing havoc with any rational response. Following the break up, Ms Mahoney's life completely unravelled. She withdrew from friends and family and entered a deep depression.
"She has been honest and frank in saying that she couldn't stop. She has demonstrated deep remorse and regret. She recognises how harmful her actions were. She is embarrassed and ashamed of her actions. She wishes to apologise. She wants them to hear that she is sorry for the distress she has caused."
Ms Morley told the court that Mahoney is a single mother to a 10-year-old son and said: "The impact on this young man's life of his mother going to prison would be devastating. She appreciates how serious the situation is.
"She is determined to re-enter work. A positive factor is that, in the last year, there hasn't been any repeat of the behaviour. It is extremely worrying behaviour, but she is starting to take the first steps. She is aware that there would only be one opportunity."
Mahoney admitted stalking and breaching a stalking protection order. Mahoney was also given a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 25 days, told to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and made to pay £500 each to her former partner and his mum, as well as £400 in court costs. She continues to be subject to an indefinite stalking protection order.
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