Nicola Flint told people she had terminal cancer for almost a decade. Police say there is no evidence she was ever diagnosed with any form of cancer.
Nicola Flint told people she had terminal cancer for almost a decade. Police say there is no evidence she was ever diagnosed with any form of cancer.
Christchurch woman Nicola Flint told friends she was dying, even showing them the spot where her ashes would be scattered.
They grieved, and some gave thousands to help her fight cancer.
But police say the terminal diagnosis was all a lie – and behind it, a web of forgedmedical letters, bank payouts and theft from a rugby club – fraud totalling more than $180,000.
Now, as Flint hides out in Wales from the fallout of her elaborate tales, Herald senior crime and justice journalist Anna Leask looks inside the alleged fraud and speaks to those hurt the most by the fake cancer.
A Moment In Crime is written and hosted by Leask, who specialises in crime and justice reporting. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 20 years.
This episode was produced by Leask and NZME audio engineer Alastair Boyes.
Episodes of A Moment In Crime are usually released monthly and so far, Leask has covered more than 70 cases, including the murders of Grace Millane, Scott Guy, Austin Hemmings, Carmen Thomas, Karen Aim; the deaths of the Kahui twins; the Christchurch mosque attack and the historic Heavenly Creatures murder; the case of Lauren Dickason who was jailed for murdering her three young daughters soon after emigrating to New Zealand, and the massacres at Raurimu and Aramoana.
Since 2019, A Moment in Crime has been downloaded more than 2 million times by listeners in more than 170 countries. It was nominated for Best True Crime Podcast at the 2024 Radio and Podcast Awards.
A Moment In Crime is available on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released monthly.
If you have a crime or case you would like to hear more about, email anna.leask@nzme.co.nz
New episodes of the Herald podcast A Moment In Crime are released monthly.
