Brantford, Ont. woman, charged again with falsely soliciting pregnancy support, back in court
Kaitlyn Braun, the Brantford, Ont. woman who previously admitted to deceiving doulas and is facing similar charges again, is not seeking bail at this time, her lawyer Alison Macdonald said Friday.
She has represented Braun in the past and told CTV News she has been retained again.
Hamilton Police announced on Wednesday that Braun, 25, had been arrested and is facing multiple criminal charges including obtaining by false pretence, harassing communications and alleged breach of a conditional sentence order.
They accuse Braun of falsely soliciting support, related to pregnancy and childbirth, between April 17 and April 18.
Braun appeared in court on Wednesday. Her case was briefly addressed in a Hamilton courtroom on Friday but Braun did not make an appearance.
Macdonald said having an alleged breach is distinguished from the new charges and there is some urgency to get it addressed.
Back in February, Braun was sentenced to two years of house arrest after pleading guilty to deceiving and defrauding multiple doulas, starting in June 2022.
She admitted to contacting numerous doulas, pretending to be pregnant, often claiming it was the result of a sexual assault.
The doulas supported Braun, some in person and others through the phone or over video chat.
In some cases, Braun pretended to go through a stillbirth, even sending the doula a photo of a stillborn baby.
Doulas told CTV Kitchener that their experiences with Braun left them emotionally distressed, mentally traumatized and hearing of her recent arrest on similar charges has been a setback in their efforts to heal.
Amy Silva, a London-based doula and one of Braun’s original victims, said they are supporting each other, but it’s been difficult.
“Today has been rough,” Silva told CTV News on Friday. “There has been a lot of feelings within our group, a lot of conversations taking place. Emotions are heated. Conversations are heated. It's a difficult place for all of us right now, and we're all at different places on our healing journey and growing from all of this, which makes being thrown back into this a little bit more difficult for everybody because we’re trying to navigate what to do and how to feel. And there's no manual on how to do that.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Norway, Ireland and Spain say they are recognizing a Palestinian state in a historic move
Norway, Ireland and Spain said on Wednesday they are recognizing a Palestinian state, in a historic but largely symbolic move that deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza.
Thunderstorms with tornado risk in some areas in Ontario, snow elsewhere in Canada
Canadians can expect a mixed bag of weather, with forecasts warning of thunderstorms, heavy rain and snow in some areas across western Canada.
NEW How to remove ticks and what to know about these bloodsuckers
Ticks are parasitic bloodsuckers, capable of spreading deadly disease, and they’re becoming increasingly common. Here’s what you need to know about them.
Montreal photographer captures dramatic Canada goose vs. fox fight on video
A Montreal photographer captured the moment a Canada goose defended itself from a fox at the Botanical Garden.
Canadians feel grocery inflation getting worse, two in five boycotting Loblaw: poll
Almost two-thirds of Canadians feel that inflation at the grocery store is getting worse, a new poll suggests, even as food inflation has been steadily cooling.
opinion Joe Biden uses bully pulpit to bully Donald Trump on debates
Donald Trump had spent weeks needling U.S. President Joe Biden for his refusal to commit to a debate. But Washington political columnist Eric Ham describes how in one fell swoop, Biden ingeniously stole the issue from the Trump campaign and made it his own.
Barbie will make dolls to honour Venus Williams, Christine Sinclair and other athletes
Barbie dolls will honour Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair and tennis champion Venus Williams, plus seven other athletes as part of a project announced by Mattel on Wednesday.
Ontario mother loses $2,500 to text scammer pretending to be daughter
An Ontario mother lost $2,500 to a scammer pretending to be her daughter asking for help in late April.
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.