A judge at Belfast Magistrates’ Court slammed Nicola Hutton, a 54-year-old woman from Belfast, as a deceitful and heartless liar. Hutton faced charges for falsely claiming she would donate a kidney to Billy Cullen. She had contacted the Cullen family, pretending to be undergoing the organ donation process. Hutton engaged in months of communication with the family, even meeting them in person where they treated her to lunch and a gift.
However, a member of the transplant coordination team testified that Hutton had never interacted with their services or initiated any transplant-related procedures. Hutton defended herself in court, stating she had registered as a stem cell donor in 2022 but had not been contacted by any service.
Hutton claimed she was willing to donate her kidney to Billy, requesting not to remain anonymous during the process to ensure it went to him specifically. She later asked the Cullen family to remove social media posts about her donation offer. Despite Hutton’s claims of attending transplant-related appointments, specifics were vague, with conflicting statements during police interviews.
Judge Rafferty criticized Hutton for wasting six months of Billy’s time by falsely promising a transplant surgery before June 2025. He condemned her actions as cruel and deceitful, destroying the family’s hope of finding a donor. Hutton was convicted of her charges and labeled a “wicked, callous, and evil liar” by the judge. She faces sentencing on October 30 and was warned to engage with the probation service effectively.