Woman who faked cancer will spend the weekend in jail, police say

August 07, 2010

Madeleine White

Volunteers claim Ashley Kirilow raised $20,000, but she says it was less than $5,000.

A woman who admits she faked having cancer for a charity scam will spend the weekend in jail after a brief hearing Saturday, police say.

Ashley Anne Kirilow, who is alleged to have raised as much as $20,000 in bogus charity money, was taken to the Vanier Centre for Women, a prison in Milton, after appearing via video link at a Hamilton courtroom.

Kirilow was arrested by Halton fraud investigators after turning herself into the Oakville police station Friday.

Police say the arrest happened without incident and was “dealt with quickly.”

Kirilow was charged with three counts of fraud under $5,000. If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of two years in jail.

A Star investigation revealed that Kirilow shaved her head, plucked her eyebrows and eyelashes to make herself look like a chemotherapy patient. The ruse included attending charity events in her honour, taking cancer research donations from hundreds of people and accepting a flight to Disney World from a legitimate Toronto-based cancer-awareness organization.

Kirilow told the Star she was sorry and wanted to pay the money back, adding she “can’t possibly give it back to every single person, but I can give it to charity.”

The 23-year-old, who has since blamed her miserable childhood for the situation, started telling people she had cancer and when she had a benign tumour removed from her breast in 2008.

Kirilow will have another court appearance on Monday morning at a Milton courthouse.