Judge urged to ‘throw the book’ at Belle Gibson in Federal Court
LATEST: CANCER con Belle Gibson has failed to appear in the Federal Court for civil proceedings against her, as pictures emerge of her living the good life.
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A TRAINWRECK interview with 60 Minutes has formed part of the evidence against cancer con Belle Gibson, whose case went ahead without her in the Federal Court today.
A Federal Court Judge has reserved her decision over allegations the wellness blogger engaged in misleading conduct over her claims she cured her cancer naturally.
Consumer Affairs Victoria relied on dozens of social media posts, particularly on her @healing_belle Instagram account, where Gibson talked about her bleak diagnosis of only having four months to live with brain cancer as evidence in the case.
The court also heard transcripts from a video of Gibson being put through a media training session, organised by Penguin to prepare her for interviews promoting her cookbook.
When asked in the training if she felt like she was dying, she responded yes and that she was OK with that.
Gibson also talked about her multiple cancer diagnoses and how she was on a quest to heal herself naturally.
She went on to say in the session she had donated to nine charities, but the court heard only one charity ever received moneys promised.
Gibson told her Facebook and Instagram followers she started receiving oral chemotherapy for her cancer before abandoning conventional medicine.
“I pulled myself out. My doctors freaked out but they couldn’t stop me,” Gibson allegedly said.
Gibson told her large social media following she started “getting back to basics” and opted for healthy foods and natural therapies which healed her cancer, the court heard.
“Her publisher went out and published her book on the basis of her claims,” CAV lawyer Catherine Button told the court.
Penguin paid Gibson’s company almost $264,000 for her The Whole Pantry cookbook, according to court documents.
The book was released in October 2014 and withdrawn from sale five months later. Ms Button said Gibson claimed she fell pregnant two weeks after being told she couldn’t have children because of her cancer.
The Whole Pantry founder made it clear she had no intention of taking part in the civil action brought against her by CAV — even ignoring requests by a top judge.
The court heard will use Gibson’s 60 Minutes interview as evidence.
Gibson was photographed by the Herald Sun recently living the good life, despite being forced last year to admit her miraculous cancer survival story was untrue.
In between morning and afternoon school runs, the cancer con has been spending her days flitting between shops, cafes and going to the gym.
Spotted in trendy Collingwood and Northcote, she did not seem to have a care in the world as she stocked up on fruit and organic supplies, even devouring a sweet pastry on the move.
Justice Debbie Mortimer initially issued a court order giving Gibson until July 10 to take part in the civil proceedings, saying there would otherwise be “tough consequences”.
“She’s certainly not winding back the story. It’s quite the opposite.”
But Gibson has ignored warnings and failed to file a defence.
Friends of Gibson have told the Herald Sun she was “hoping it would all go away” if she didn’t respond.
But Consumer Affairs has refused to back down and the case will be heard ex parte in the Federal Court today.
Consumer Affairs has alleged the disgraced social media entrepreneur made false and misleading claims and engaged in unconscionable conduct by not only faking cancer, but saying she cured it through nutrition and a holistic lifestyle to market her The Whole Pantry app and cookbook.
Gibson failed to pass on up to $300,000 in promised donations to charities, CAV says.
Cancer sufferer Ashley, who wanted to be known by only her first name, urged the judge to “throw the book at her”. “This thief needs to be brought to justice — I really hope she doesn’t get off scot-free,” she said.
“She needs to pay for her crimes. Pretending to have cancer and ripping all of those charities off and duping all of those people is disgusting.”
CAV is demanding an injunction preventing Gibson from engaging in similar conduct. It also wants her to apologise in a public notice in the Herald Sun and The Australian newspapers.
The maximum penalty she can face is $1.1 million. But the Herald Sun understands her company, which is in liquidation, owes almost $140,000.
— with AAP
Originally published as Judge urged to ‘throw the book’ at Belle Gibson in Federal Court
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