Police say South Australia parents faked child’s cancer to claim donations

An Adelaide couple has been arrested over an alleged fundraising scam involving a child's fake cancer diagnosis.

Transcript

00:00SA Police held a press conference just earlier, revealing they'd arrested a 44-year-old woman

00:07and a 44-year-old man from Adelaide's western suburbs, alleging that they'd caused serious

00:12psychological harm to their six-year-old son by falsely claiming he had a cancer diagnosis.

00:19Police are alleging that the man and the woman had shaved their son's head and his eyebrows

00:24and had also placed him in a wheelchair to imitate radiotherapy treatment.

00:30Police are also alleging that the couple had requested monetary donations from the community

00:35to fund their child's treatment, and believe that they had raised around $60,000 during

00:41a two-week period.

00:43Police say their investigations confirm that the child is not seeking medical treatment.

00:48They say it's unclear just how long these alleged offences could have been going on

00:52for, but say they first became aware of the matter when a police report was made about

00:57two weeks ago.

00:58The Acting Assistant Commissioner spoke during the press conference today, and he described

01:03this as an extremely traumatic incident.

01:06Let's take a listen.

01:07I couldn't think of a more devious and cruel scheme that the parents have done to their

01:11own child.

01:13It's abhorrent that people would seek to profit for their own personal greed and selfishness

01:19from such an insidious condition such as cancer that impacts so many families in our community.

01:26Police say that the victim and his sibling have been removed from their parents and that

01:30a nominated relative is now providing short-term care.

01:34Both the man and the woman have been charged with criminal neglect and deception offences.

01:38They were refused bail and will face the Port Adelaide Magistrates Court at some stage today.

01:44Police are asking anyone with information which may assist in their investigations to

01:48come forward.