Newtownabbey man’s life put at risk due to ‘evil’ fake kidney donor

Billy Cullen’s kidney function reduced to just 9% as he stopped looking for a donor due to the “wicked” actions of Nicola Hutton

A Newtownabbey family have thanked police and the courts after a “wicked, callous and evil” woman was convicted after pretending to be a kidney donor.

Billy Cullen and his wife, Joanne, issued an appeal last year asking people to join the donor register as he was going into kidney failure and was in desperate need of a new one.

Following this, they thought their prayers had been answered when Nicola Hutton contacted them and said that she was keen to donate her kidney to Billy, and she was going to start the process to see if she was a match.

READ MORE: Family’s frustration after being ‘lied to’ by potential kidney donorREAD MORE: Woman to appear in court in connection with ‘fake kidney donor’ investigation

However, Nicola never had any intention of donating her kidney to Billy despite stringing him and his wife along for six months, telling them she had been found to be a perfect match and that they should stop looking for a donor altogether.

As the months went on, Billy’s condition deteriorated to the point where his kidney function reduced to just 9% and he had to start dialysis treatment. Throughout this time, Nicola continued to talk with the family, saying she had numerous appointments and hoped the transplant surgery would take place before June 2025.

While they were waiting for an update on the transplant, the team contacted them and told them Billy needed to start dialysis as a donor had not been found, much to the surprise of the Cullen family. They then laid a trap for her to see if she was telling the truth. She asked the 54-year-old who her doctors were, giving her a fake name, and when she confirmed that it was her doctor, Joanne knew that Nicola was a liar and reported her to the police.

At first, officers were not sure what offence had been committed and had to seek legal advice. The Cullens praised the police for their hard work and dedication in the case, which resulted in Nicola’s being brought to justice.

She was labelled a “wicked, callous and evil liar” by Judge Rafferty as he found her guilty of false communications on Thursday, September 18 at Belfast Magistrates Court, saying that she had not only met the custody threshold but obliterated it.

Speaking to Belfast Live following the conviction, Billy and Joanne Cullen said they were very grateful to everyone who helped bring Nicola to justice, and they are now looking forward to the future.

Billy has also now had a kidney transplant thanks to the help of his employer, The Henderson Group, which had issued an appeal for donors throughout the company, with a coworker of Billy’s stepping in and making the life-saving move to donate a kidney. Billy did not know this was the case until after the operation and said that the process was so much smoother than the drawn-out ordeal that the “fantasist” had pretended to go through.

Joanne Cullen said: “Going into court today, we didn’t know what we were going to expect, but we are very glad that the courts saw through her lies so clearly. I actually can’t believe she tried to argue she had engaged with the transplant services minutes after someone from the service said she hadn’t.

“This woman could have killed my husband with her lies, and I am just thankful that she has been convicted and hope that she will get the sentence she deserves and won’t be able to harm anyone else.

“I would just like to give a big thank you to the police, transplant team, courts and PPS for their support throughout this. It really means so much to us.

“We would also like to give special thanks to the Henderson Group, which is a truly wonderful place to work, and the support they have given Billy during his treatment has been incredible. Billy would never have got his life-saving transplant if it weren’t for them putting out an appeal in the company, and we will always be grateful for everything they have done.”

Nicola Hutton is now due to be sentenced on October 30.

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