CALGARY — A Calgary woman who pretended to have cancer and claimed to be a Fort McMurray wildfire evacuee to cash in on donations will not be going to jail.
Both the Crown and defence had asked Judge Anne Brown for the suspended sentence.
Jennifer Halford, who is 35, entered guilty pleas last year on seven counts of fraud.
She claimed she had aggressive breast cancer and that she and her family had lost everything in the northern Alberta wildfire in the spring of 2016.
She received donations that included gift cards, food, clothing, babysitting services and beauty treatments.
The Crown said Halford was going through depression when she committed the crimes.
Prosecutor Jason Wuttunee told court Halford's motivation was not greed but a way to gain the attention and support she felt she needed.
The two-year suspended sentence includes 100 hours of community service. Halford is restricted from using social media and must repay her victims.
Halford sobbed throughout Monday morning's court proceedings as well as through the actual sentence.
Brown criticized the mob mentality of the public over Halford's actions as a "shocking and terrible thing."
Halford, who did not address the court, blurted out at that point: "It's scary."
