Ont. woman who faked pregnancy to defraud doulas arrested again on similar charges

Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.

Victims of a Brantford, Ont., woman who was sentenced to house arrest earlier this year for defrauding and deceiving doulas say they’re not surprised she’s been apprehended again on similar charges.

In December, Kaitlyn Braun, 25, pleaded guilty to 21 charges including fraud, mischief and committing indecent acts. Court heard that for months she had contacted doulas, falsely claiming she was pregnant.

Birth workers spent hours, and in some cases days, supporting her in-person, on the phone or over video chat, sometimes as she pretended to deliver as stillborn baby. In victim impact statements and interviews with CTV News they described their experiences as disturbing and deeply traumatic.

In February, Braun was sentenced to two years of house arrest and three years of probation after the Crown and the defence put forward a joint submission. At the time, the judge raised concerns saying he was troubled by a mental health assessment that indicated Braun was likely to reoffend.

On Wednesday, Hamilton police announced Braun had been arrested the day before and is facing multiple charges including harassing communications, obtaining by false pretences and breaching a conditional sentence order.

Police said the new charges stem from reports that, between Wednesday April 17 and Thursday April 18, Braun falsely solicited support related to pregnancy and childbirth.