PERTH WOMAN CONVICTED OF STALKING HER TINDER DATE WITH FAKE PREGNANCY SCHEME
A woman named Jaclyn McGowan, aged 36, from Perth, Scotland, was convicted of a bizarre and disturbing act of harassment towards her Tinder date, Jamie Aitken.She engaged in a prolonged stalking campaign lasting nine months, during which she kept up the pretense that she was pregnant with his child.
McGowan told police that she had taken a positive pregnancy test and, although she suffered a miscarriage a week later, she did not inform Mr.
Aitken.
She even purchased a prosthetic baby bump, had discussions with others about the due date, and turned up at his brother's workplace wearing the fake bump, claiming to be heavily pregnant.
The deception was detailed enough for her to give the imaginary baby a name, Noah, and to discuss delivery dates with various people.
Her motivation was to hurt Aitken after their brief one-night stand in June 2019 ended abruptly.
She also sent messages indicating she was pregnant and requested money for a cot, further escalating her harassment.
Her actions caused significant fear and alarm within Aitken's family, especially since she managed to influence his parents, who initially were sympathetic but later felt betrayed once the deception was uncovered.
The scheme was exposed after the due date passed without a baby being born, leading to police interviews and her full confession.
The court ordered her to complete 150 hours of unpaid community service.
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis described her offense as at the lower end of stalking but emphasized its seriousness, stating, 'You pleaded guilty to causing fear and alarm over a period of nine months, so when I say it is on the less serious side, none the less I have to bear that in mind.'
