The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Stalker admits to faking pregnancy
COURT: Woman used prosthetic bump for ruse
A Perthshire woman has admitted stalking her former lover and pretending to be pregnant.
Jaclyn Mcgowan, 36, kept the bizarre ruse up for nine months as she tried to convince the victim, Jamie Aitken, and his family she was expecting his child.
The Rattray woman turned up at his brother’s workplace, Ryze Trampoline Park in Dundee, wearing a prosthetic under her clothes and telling him he could “play a part in the boy’s life”.
She also contacted the victim’s mother, sending her scans of the “baby”.
Mcgowan, pictured left, admitted carrying out the offences between June 2019 and February 2020.
Sheriff Neil Bowie said it was an “unusual charge” and deferred sentence pending reports.
A36-year-old woman has admitted stalking a former lover by pretending to be pregnant for months and wearing a prosthetic baby bump as part of the ruse.
Jaclyn Mcgowan kept up the bizarre pretence for nine months as she tried to dupe the man’s family into believing she was carrying his child.
She repeatedly approached members of his family to discuss her “baby” and turned up at his brother’s workplace appearing to be heavily pregnant.
Perth Sheriff Court was told yesterday that Mcgowan had purchased a fake baby bump which she was wearing under her clothing at the time.
Mcgowan’s deception was so detailed that she had even given the nonexistent baby a name and was discussing due dates with various people.
She admitted that between June 1 2019 and February 29 last year she engaged in a course of conduct which caused fear or alarm to a man and members of his family.
Mcgowan, from Rattray, Blairgowrie, admitted pretending to Jamie Aitken that she was pregnant with his child during the bizarre sequence of events.
She sent him a picture of a cot and requested he give her £300 to pay for it, and told him she was having miscarriages, while also telling him he would play no part in her baby’s life.
Then she contacted his mother Wendy Aitken, telling her she was pregnant with her grandchild and sent scan photos and details of fictitious pregnancy-related appointments to her.
Mcgowan, who had a very brief relationship with Mr Aitken, told his mother her son would not attend pre-natal appointments with her.
She also went on to tell Mrs Aitken that the baby would be her grandson, was going to be called Noah, and was due to be born on March 28 2020.
Mcgowan carried on the act by telling Mrs Aitken she would be able to play a part in bringing her “grandson” up after his birth and told Jamie Aitken’s brother Corrie that she was carrying his sibling’s unborn child.
She admitted turning up at Corrie’s workplace, Ryze Trampoline Park in
Dundee, and telling him that he could “play a part in the boy’s life”.
Mcgowan, who was not present in court yesterday, admitted turning up at the trampoline park “while wearing a prosthetic baby bump”.
Solicitor Mike Tavendale told the court: “She now enters a plea of guilty to the amended charge.
“Looking simply at the terms of the libel, this is a case which will require reports.”
He said his client had a number of issues, while fiscal depute Lisa Marshall confirmed that Mcgowan had no previous convictions.
Sheriff Neil Bowie said: “I can see it is an unusual charge in itself. Sentence will have to be deferred for a criminal justice social work report.”
Mcgowan, who had appeared and pled not guilty at an earlier hearing, was ordered to appear for sentence next month.
“Sentence will have to be deferred for a criminal justice social work report