WARNING: This article references sexual assault, and may affect those who have experienced them or know someone affected by them.
Kaitlyn Braun was sentenced to three years in prison in a Hamilton court room Monday after she faked being pregnant and conned two women into providing her with doula support while she was on house arrest for similar crimes.
Braun will also serve the remainder of her house arrest sentence behind bars, bringing her total sentence to three years and eight months of incarceration.
Dressed in a lime green sweater and dark green pants, Braun, 26, sat in the prisoner’s box Monday, looking down for most of the hearing and did not address the court except to say “good morning” to Ontario Court Justice Joe Fiorucci.
In January, she pleaded guilty to two counts of obtaining by false pretence services under $5,000 and two harassment-related charges from April 2024. Both the defence and Crown requested she be imprisoned where she could undergo therapy.
Fiorucci agreed, noting a psychiatric assessment found she had a high risk of reoffending and inflicting psychological harm on others if she doesn’t undergo treatment and take medication. Even then, “she is very likely to offend and create victims,” he said.
“The offender’s deception was fully conscious, purposeful and deliberate,” Fiorucci said.
Braun had previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced for 21 charges including fraud, indecent acts, false pretences and mischief, after pretending to have experienced pregnancies and stillbirths between June 2022 and February 2023.
Dozens of doulas across Ontario were impacted. A doula is a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to clients before, during and shortly after childbirth. They also help with grief and trauma around pregnancy loss, but they do not deliver babies and they don’t have access to medical records or equipment.
‘I just broke down’
While on house arrest for the first set of crimes, in Brantford, Braun participated in individual and group therapy, and was supported by a nurse practitioner and psychiatrist, Fiorucci noted.
But a couple weeks in, Braun called an organization that supports parents in crisis and was connected with an employee, Tracy Robb. Braun gave a fake name and claimed to be 19 weeks pregnant. She said her baby wasn’t going to make it to term and she needed support.
Robb spoke on the phone with Braun for 18 hours over two days. Braun told Robb what she planned to name the baby and asked about Robb’s own childbirth experiences.
Braun appeared to be making noises “consistent with orgasm” on some of the calls, Crown attorney Simon McNaughton previously told the court.
Braun has denied her crimes were sexual in nature and wasn’t charged with sexual assault. But Fiorucci said on Monday the evidence “strongly suggests” there was a sexual element and Robb said she felt sexually violated.
After hours of talking with Braun, Robb said she happened to check her work email and saw a warning to service providers of possible fraud. That email prompted her to call the hospital and she found out nobody by the name Braun had given had checked in.
“I just broke down,” Robb said. “It really rocked my world.”
In the year that followed, Robb left her job and struggled in her relationships with her husband and children.
“I have always been very caring and compassionate,” she said. “And now I’m kind of hesitant and wondering if someone is taking advantage of the situation. It’s not a good place to live and I hope I can move past that because I don’t want that to be who I am forever.”
Shows a lack of remorse
Days after her phone calls with Robb, Braun contacted a doula through text. She again gave a false name and claimed she was 21 weeks pregnant, experiencing pregnancy loss and her partner had left her after finding out.
The doula said in her victim impact statement that she initially wanted to do everything she could to support Braun. That feeling “changed to disgust” when she realized Braun had made it all up, Fiorucci told the court.
London doula Amy Silva was one of 17 victims who were taken in by Kaitlyn Braun. The 25-year old pleaded guilty to 21 charges, including fraud, indecent acts, false pretences and mischief. Watch one example of how she did it.
He said allowing Braun to continue her sentence under house arrest “would be a danger to the safety of the community.”
Without therapy and prison’s “structured environment, the offender poses a significant and ongoing threat,” Fiorucci said.
A psychiatric report diagnosed Braun with borderline personality disorder and anti-social personality disorder, anxiety and depression, and determined she was aware of what she was doing when she committed the crimes, said Fiorucci. She also showed a lack remorse for her behaviour.
Braun has a history of lying to authorities. In the year leading up to her crimes against doulas, she visited hospitals 178 times, presenting issues that weren’t real or self-inflicted to obtain medical attention, Fiorucci. She also reported being sexually assaulted 60 times at hospitals around the province, allegations police determined weren’t true. She was cautioned by them to stop or face charges.
Braun also falsely claimed several of her family members died and she’d been the victim of a home invasion. While working as a social worker, she lied to her boss that an 11-year-old client had sexually assaulted her. She was fired over the incident.
Factitious disorder ruled out
During Braun’s psychiatric assessment, mental health professionals considered she may be experiencing factitious disorder, but concluded her behaviour doesn’t reflect that diagnosis, Fiorucci said.
Factitious disorder is when a person fabricates symptoms to gain attention from others.
Braun posed as having a wide range of issues against many different people in her life — not typical of factitious disorder. And when confronted with the truth, she admitted to lying, apologized and sought forgiveness, also not typical.
The motivations for her crimes likely included reducing her social isolation as she saw professionals “as substitute friends,” experiencing enjoyment and pleasure by taking risks, and exploring aspects of her sexual identity, Fiorucci said.
For Kitchener doula Amy Perry, the judge recognizing Braun was in control of her actions was a relief. Perry said she was among 50 doulas victimized by Braun.
“When we talk about this, the biggest response I get is I hope [Braun] gets the help she needs,” said Perry. “And that’s really frustrating when there’s so many victims who are not getting the help they need. She is calculated and smart. I think they made that more clear today.”
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, support is available through crisis lines and local support services via this government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
