A woman convinced doctors and family alike that her son had cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and severe food allergies all in a bid to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in government disability benefits, a British court heard Friday.

The woman, whose name is not being revealed, is alleged to have begun fabricating symptoms for her son, now age 8, at such a young age that doctors fed the boy through a tube, gave him unnecessary medication and even performed surgery.

So convincing was the woman’s scheme that even the boy himself and his father believed that he was severely ill. The boy wore loose fitting clothes to make him appear ill and used a wheelchair complete with oxygen tanks.

Over six and a half years, the woman collected £130,000 or nearly $212,000 in disability benefits, which were really used to support a ”high flying” lifestyle, the court heard. In the meantime, her son spent at least six weeks a year in the hospital, reports the (London) Telegraph. To read more click here.

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