Son of ‘Britain’s most evil mum’ now forgives her
A mother who was jailed after pretending that her young son was 'the sickest boy in Britain' has gained his forgiveness.
Lisa Hayden-Johnson's disturbing web of deceit was rumbled back in 2007 after police uncovered that her 'sadistic' stories about the health of her son Matthew were completely fabricated when concerned doctors raised the alarm.
Now, aged 25, he has spoken out about how he believes that his mum 'deserves peace' - despite her confining him to a wheelchair, forcing him to be fed through a tube and undergo a host of unnecessary medical procedures.
Matthew has bravely opened up about his horrifying childhood ordeal alongside his sister Laura, 27, ahead of the release of a three-part Channel 4 documentary, Love You To Death, on Wednesday (19 August).
Advert
The pair candidly recounted their recollections of endless hospital appointments, the 'confusion' they felt having to keep up with their mother's lies and the lasting trauma they have been left with - and Hayden-Johnson also appears.
The case - which eerily echoes the abuse that Gypsy Rose Blanchard was subjected to as a child - stunned the UK nearly two decades ago when Hayden-Johnson's lies came to light.
The mum, from Devon, was ultimately sentenced to three years and three months in prison after pleading guilty to child cruelty and perverting the course of justice in January 2010.
Her deceit spanned at least six years and prosecutor Andrew Macfarlane told Exeter Crown Court during her sentencing that she was motivated by publicity and financial rewards.
He said that Hayden-Johnson had 'organised, orchestrated and ensured a regime of medical, physiological and psychological mistreatment amounting to 24 hour-a-day torture' for Matthew.
"As a result of her sadistic fabrication of non-existent symptoms, the defendant achieved much publicity and national attention, including an encounter with royalty and the-then prime minister," Macfarlane said.
'The most ill child in Britain'
The mum - who regularly described her boy as 'the most ill child in Britain' - falsely claimed that her son had debilitating illnesses including diabetes, cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis.
Amid the widespread publicity of Matthew's supposed health issues, he received a Children of Courage award, met the likes of Queen consort Camilla Parker-Bowles as well as former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and even swindled an invite to The X Factor from showbiz bigwig Simon Cowell. She also received £130,000 in disability living allowance claims.
On top of that, Hayden-Johnson also received cash donations and charity gifts - including two cruises - from people hoping to aid his suffering, Reuters previously reported.
During her trial, her lawyer told the court that she suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, which is also known as fabricated or induced illness (FII). This refers to a parent faking, exaggerating or causing physical or mental illness to gain sympathy and attention.
Meanwhile, Matthew was utterly convinced that he was seriously ill; and endured 325 medical encounters - including blood tests, intravenous treatments and nine general anaesthetics - and spent most of his time in a wheelchair.
Prosecutors said that he 'never suffered from any of these disorders or handicaps and the symptoms' despite his mother's claims. Police found various medical supplies in his room - such as a hospital bed, a feed pump, oxygen mask - which cops said was comparable to 'a scene in Casualty'.
Hayden-Johnson's two children were taken into care before later being allowed to live with their father, who had also been fooled by her lies.
Matthew, who now works in finance, explained that taking part in the Love You To Death documentary has 'given him the chance to face' what happened to him, although he had worked had to put his trauma behind him.
How Matthew managed to forgive his mother
Neither he nor Laura have spoken to Hayden-Johnson in the last two years - and he says it's because of the 'lack of change' he has seen in his mum, as well as 'how she treated' his sister.
"At this point, I don’t want to be a man who goes back on his word, and I don’t want to open up that relationship to then shut it down later on, because I think that would damage both of us," he told The Telegraph.
However, he believes that Hayden-Johnson 'deserves peace' and said that he has managed to 'forgive her'.
Matthew went on: "What other option do I have? I can’t hold the hate over her. I wish her the best. I just want to move on with my life."
But Laura believes their mother is 'completely oblivious' to the damage that she did to them both, while revealing she believes she was the original 'test subject' for her mum before she began faking Matthew's ill health.
She stumbled across NHS records that she claims state that she was 'on seizure medication' when she was a child. Laura said her mother's deceit 'massively affected' her during her teen years and that she still has 'nightmares of her brother screaming' when his feeding tubes were changed to this day.
Love You To Death is set to delve into the other possible reasoning behind Hayden-Johnson subjecting her children to this - such as how she 'never got over' seeing Matthew in an incubator after being born prematurely, the death of Laura's twin when she was 16 weeks pregnant, and her own childhood trauma.
Love You to Death airs at 9pm on Channel 4 from 19 Aug.
Topics: UK News, Health, Mental Health, Documentaries, True Crime
Olivia Burke