In a case that has shocked Northern Ireland and drawn attention to the emotional toll of medical fraud, a Belfast woman has been sentenced to five months in prison for pretending to be a kidney donor to a man in desperate need of a transplant. Nicola Hutton, 54, was convicted at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on November 6, 2025, for what Judge Francis Rafferty described as an act of "abject wickedness," after she deceived a family and wasted six crucial months in their search for a life-saving organ.
The victim, William "Billy" Cullen from Newtownabbey, had been battling Polycystic Kidney Disease for around a decade. By August 2024, his kidney function had plummeted to just 15%, leaving him reliant on daily dialysis and in urgent need of a donor. As his condition deteriorated, Billy and his wife Joanne made a public appeal for help, hoping for a miracle. According to Love Ballymena, it was in response to this plea that Hutton, using the alias Nicola Carlisle, contacted the Cullens via social media, claiming she was already on the transplant register and willing to donate a kidney.
For the next six months, Hutton wove a web of lies. She sent the family text messages, assuring them that she had attended medical appointments and that transplant surgery was on track to happen by June 2025. In January, she even met the Cullens in person, accepting a Marc Jacobs gift set as a token of their gratitude. The family, overwhelmed by what seemed to be the kindness of a stranger, placed their hopes—and Billy’s life—in her hands.
But the hope was cruelly misplaced. In February 2025, Billy’s transplant coordination team informed him that no match had been found and, crucially, that Hutton was not on the system at all. When confronted, Hutton doubled down, blaming the mix-up on hospital staff. The Cullens, devastated and betrayed, cut all contact and alerted the police. As reported by the Belfast Telegraph, prosecutors later confirmed that six months had been wasted due to the family’s trust in Hutton, precious time that could have been used to find a legitimate donor.
The emotional and physical consequences for Billy were severe. By April 2025, his kidney function had dropped further to just 10%, forcing him to endure daily dialysis sessions that lasted up to ten hours. He was forced to give up work—something he had never done before—while his health and spirit declined. "I was never off work before and I was in terrible pain. I didn’t want to get out of bed and my wife Joanne had to console me and remind me to be strong," Billy said in a statement released after the sentencing and quoted by Love Ballymena.
The deception also took a deep psychological toll. Joanne Cullen, Billy’s wife, described how the family had been "overwhelmed at the apparent kindness of a stranger who could be the answer to our prayers." She admitted that it was impossible not to feel relieved and hopeful when Hutton told them she had applied to be a donor. However, the revelation of the lie left her shattered, admitting she had "lost faith in humanity" and could never understand how someone could inflict such pain on a vulnerable family.
Judge Francis Rafferty did not mince words during sentencing. He called Hutton an "emotional parasite" who "fed off the couple’s despair and luxuriated in offering them false hope." In a scathing rebuke from the bench, he told her, "You presented yourself as an angel or a saviour and took the kudos and credit for that when you knew that you were as malignant a process in their life as any illness or sickness." He went on to say, "A family saw you as their saviour and then their world stopped whenever your lies and your wicked machinations were exposed. I can only imagine the abject horror they felt whenever they realised that you had been lying to them all along."
Hutton’s actions, the judge concluded, required a custodial sentence: "Given the catalogue and cascade of cruelty that you visited upon these people, the only sentence I can impose is one of immediate custody. A family in the battle of their lives found you on their doorstep, offering help and salvation. All the time you knew what you were doing was an act of practised and consummate wickedness."
Police investigators, including Sergeant Young of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), emphasized the broader message of the case. "Six months had been wasted believing Hutton’s claims; time which could have been spent searching for a legitimate donor," Sergeant Young told Love Ballymena. He added, "We hope that today’s sentencing sends a clear message to anyone who thinks they can get away with this type of crime – you will face the consequences of your actions." The PSNI urged anyone who believes they have been targeted by a scam to come forward, stressing that "fraudsters don’t care about the emotional impact they have on their victims" and that support is available for those affected.
Despite the ordeal, the Cullen family’s story ultimately took a positive turn. In the summer of 2025, a legitimate donor was found. Eddie Kidd, a living donor, gave Billy a kidney, and the operation was a success. Billy’s health improved dramatically, and by early November 2025, he was able to return to work. "Thankfully I had my transplant in the summer and it was a success. Thanks to Eddie Kidd, who donated one of his kidneys to me, I finally feel like myself again," Billy said. He expressed gratitude to the staff at the Renal Unit at Belfast City Hospital and to Kidney Care UK for their support during the ordeal.
Billy also used his statement to urge others to consider living kidney donation, highlighting the urgent need: "Over 6,000 people are waiting for a kidney donor in the UK. Living donation is life-changing for people like me and I want to thank everyone who considers it."
As for Hutton, she never provided an explanation for her actions, leaving those involved—and the wider public—to grapple with the motives behind such a callous act. The case stands as a grim reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by those in medical crisis and the importance of vigilance against fraud, especially when hope is in such short supply.
For the Cullens, the scars of the deception remain, but so does a renewed appreciation for the generosity of true donors and the support of medical professionals. Their experience, while harrowing, has already sparked conversations about the need for greater awareness and safeguards in organ donation appeals, ensuring that no family has to endure such a betrayal again.
