Bethanie Fisher was told by a judge her crime was “mean” and “very serious” after she asked for £25,476 from a “friend”, which she claimed was to pay for her dog’s surgery
Bethanie Fisher will be sentenced next year after pleading guilty to fraud by false representation(Image: Katie Pugh)
A Hull woman defrauded a “friend” she had met online of more than £25,000 by claiming she needed money for vet bills for her sick dog. The victim squandered £25,476 of inheritance he received from his late mother after meeting Bethanie Fisher on Twitter.
The sentencing of Fisher, 33, of Old Harbour Court, Hull, was deferred until February next year. Recorder Gordon Stables called the offence “very serious” and “mean”. He gave her until the next hearing date to start to save up to pay the victim back. The court heard how Fisher produced “content of a sexual nature” online, and formed a relationship with the victim that lasted several years before she started asking him for cash. They had never met in person, but the victim believed the pair were “friends”.
From 9 May 2024 to 28 June 2024, the victim paid Fisher sums totalling £25,476 which she claimed were loans for vet bills. Fisher was arrested on 30 July 2025 and entered a guilty plea on 29 July 2026 to a charge of fraud by false representation. The court heard how Fisher and the victim had been friends for “a few years” and they first made contact via Twitter in 2022.
Prosecutor Billy Torbett said: “The defendant’s Twitter account was used for work, for content of a sexual nature. The victim in 2022 began making payments to the defendant in order to speak to her. He willingly made these payments and they do not form part of the fraud. However, in May 2024 things began to change.”
It was then that Fisher began asking for payments in order to pay for her dog’s surgery, telling the victim that her pet insurance policy was not going to pay out immediately. It was then that the victim made the first payment of £2,200. She claimed she had a job interview coming up and planned to pay back the money. More payments were made, up until 28 June 2024, to the sum of £25,476.
The complainant sent a letter to Fisher in November 2024, threatening legal action if she did not pay the money back. Fisher made contact with the victim the day she received the letter, saying she was chasing up the insurance company, but then stopped responding.
A victim impact statement read out to the court said: “I considered us friends. When she messaged me asking for help with her dog’s vet expenses, I wanted to help.” He described it as a “stressful and upsetting experience” where Fisher was “asking for funds again and again”. The money sent to Fisher was part of an inheritance the victim received after the death of his mother. “I haven’t had the courage to tell my father that it has been squandered,” the statement said. “She told me that we were friends.”
Mitigating, Benjamin Donnell pointed to her lack of previous convictions and lack of criminal conduct since the offence was committed. “Her honesty to the police is indicative that she knows she has done wrong and needs to make amends for her behaviour. She will change her life so that she doesn’t fall into this position again. She tells me she can pay £500 per month until the debt is fully paid off. The feelings of guilt in relation to the harm that she has caused is astronomical.”
Recorder Gordon Stables said: “This is a very mean offence. It tugs on the heart strings. She is going back time and again for money.” The court heard that Fisher is due to begin a university course to become a mental health nurse in September, and that her income is “variable”. In a “bad month” she earns £2,000, and £6,000 in a “good month”.
Recorder Stables said: “Your case is a very serious one. It’s troubling. On the one hand this was a very mean offence and the impact has been very high. That would suggest to me there would be an immediate custodial sentence. On the other hand you’ve never been in trouble before and there are a lot of mitigating factors.
“I’m going to defer sentence in this case until 5 February 2027 where you will come back before me. I would expect that you would have at least £2,500.”
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