Woman jailed after pretending to be kidney donor in cruel fraud case

A 54-year-old woman from east Belfast has been jailed for five months after fraudulently claiming she would donate a kidney to a man in desperate need of a transplant.

Nicola Hutton was sentenced at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, 6 November, having previously been convicted of a false communication offence.

The case centred on Hutton’s deceitful contact with William “Billy” Cullen from Newtownabbey, who had been suffering from Polycystic Kidney Disease for around ten years.

False claims of hope

In August 2024, a media appeal was made on behalf of Mr Cullen as his kidney function had deteriorated to just 15%. Responding to the appeal, Hutton falsely claimed she was already on the transplant register and would come forward as a live donor.

Sergeant Young from the PSNI explained:

“Six months of communications followed, which included claims that Hutton had attended medical appointments and been informed that the transplant surgery would happen before June 2025.

“In February 2025, Billy discovered Hutton’s lies. The devastated Cullen family contacted the police and we commenced an investigation.”

By April 2025, Mr Cullen’s kidney function had fallen to 10%, forcing him to begin gruelling daily dialysis sessions lasting up to ten hours.

“Six months had been wasted believing Hutton’s claims; time which could have been spent searching for a legitimate donor,” Sergeant Young said.

“Thankfully, over the summer a donor was found for William and he underwent a successful transplant operation. His health has improved dramatically and he returned to work this week.”

The officer added that Hutton never provided an explanation for her “callous actions”, warning others against similar behaviour.

“We hope that today’s sentencing sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get away with this type of crime – you will face the consequences of your actions.”

The PSNI urged anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam to report it.

“Fraudsters don’t care about the emotional impact they have on their victims. We believe that fraud is underreported because people feel embarrassed. Do not feel ashamed — you are not at fault and you are not alone — help and support is available.”

Information on fraud prevention can be found on the PSNI website and through the ScamwiseNI partnership.

Victim’s statement: “I was robbed of precious time”

Following the sentencing, Mr Cullen welcomed the court’s decision, describing the deep emotional toll of Hutton’s deception.

“After discovering her lies, I felt betrayed, angry, scared, and worried about my family. Because my health had deteriorated so much I had to give up work. I was never off work before and I was in terrible pain. I didn’t want to get out of bed and my wife Joanne had to console me and remind me to be strong.”

He described the distress and family strain caused by the false promise:

“It was such a horrible low point in my life that could have been avoided had I been able to get a donor earlier. If it hadn’t been for Nicola Hutton I would not have had to face a lot of this pain. I was robbed of precious first times with my grand-babies and times with my teenage daughter.

“I am still hurt and angry at what my family went through – how could anyone do something like this?”

Mr Cullen expressed gratitude to those who helped him recover:

“Thankfully I had my transplant in the summer and it was a success. Thanks to Eddie Kidd, who donated one of his kidneys to me, I finally feel like myself again.”

He also paid tribute to the Renal Unit at Belfast City Hospital and Kidney Care UK for their ongoing support.

Concluding, he urged others to consider living donation:

“Over 6,000 people are waiting for a kidney donor in the UK. Living donation is life-changing for people like me and I want to thank everyone who considers it.”