Brantford woman charged with defrauding, harassing Ont. doulas

Warning: this story includes details that may be disturbing to some readers

Ont. A 24-year-old Brantford, Ill., woman faces dozens of criminal charges, including harassment, fraud and sexual assault, after police say she sought help from registered doulas for pregnancies and stillbirths that turned out to be are false.

Caitlin Brown is alleged to have misled numerous doulas – professionals who provide support during pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period – by lying to them about being pregnant or carrying a stillborn baby, while falsely claiming their services.

Kitchen DOULA Tells “TRAUMA WAVE”

Kitchener doula Amy Perry said she was introduced to Brown in November 2022 after Perry’s colleague, another Stratford-based doula, reached out to a woman who said she was pregnant with a stillborn child after being sexually assaulted.

Perry says what happened over the next eight days was stranger and more disgusting than anything she’s experienced in her nearly six years as a doula.

“It’s so much bigger than what people might even realize, the trauma wave,” Perry told CTV News on Tuesday.

Chef doula Amy Perry says her experience with Caitlin Brown left her traumatised. (Carmen Wong/CTV Kitchen)

Perry offered her services to Brown for free, even coaching her when she went through labor.

“The moans, the sounds she was making were really realistic, even in the last stage of labor, in transition, she was even throwing up, which is normal,” Perry said.

Brown even showed Perry and the other doula a photo of the dead baby, saying that the nurses at the hospital where she gave birth had taken it for her.

From there, Brown’s story escalated.

He told the women he had a bleeding disorder, kept them on the phone while he allegedly underwent medical procedures, and eventually claimed he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

“We really felt that there was a person in the world who was living alone, going through something really terrible, and we were just willing to put our scope of practice aside and help him,” Perry said, adding that around-the-clock support is Brown during the test. had left them sleep deprived.

THE CRACKS OF HISTORY

But the inconsistencies began to mount, and Perry grew suspicious.

“At one point we were told he was in the ICU and we could hear a little dog barking and we made excuses for that. we were supposed to have a small dog, but we started hearing that dog again when he was in another place,” Perry said.

“Indeed, he had just created such a big story that the details began to fall apart even for him.”

Perry said she and her partner eventually reported their concerns to the police crisis center, and when emergency services went to Brown’s home, they found her at home in good health.

She says she felt traumatized by the experience and took advantage of it.

“Many doulas become bereavement doulas because of their own experience with loss, and to find out that someone has faked an experience that they actually went through is very painful… very traumatic.”

THE POLICE BELIEVE THERE WILL BE VICTIMS

Brown was arrested by Brantford police on Monday.

He now faces 32 charges ranging from criminal harassment to sexual assault.

Police say the charges relate to crimes that are believed to have occurred in multiple Ontario communities between June 2022 and February 2023.

Police say they are releasing the suspect’s name because investigators believe there may be more victims.

“I know it’s at least six [victims] that I’m aware of,” said Robin Matthews-Osmond, Brantford police spokeswoman. “We expect there are more, which is why we’ve released this person’s name.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Brantford Police at 519-756-7050 ext. 2262 or Crime Stoppers at 519-750-8477.

Brown faces the following charges:

• Criminal harassment (10 points)
• False pretenses (12 points)
• Fraud (4 points)
• Sexual harassment (3 points)
• Indecent act (3 points)

CTV Kitchener spoke with several other doulas who say Brown used their services.

Brown is currently in custody and will appear in a bail hearing on Friday.