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.
When Christchurch woman Nicola Flint told friends she was dying from cancer - even showing them the spot where her ashes would be scattered - they were heartbroken.
They cried with her, grieved with her husband and kids, and helped plan for a future without a wife and mother.
Some say they even gave thousands of dollars to help her fight cancer.
But police have now confirmed there is no evidence Flint was ever diagnosed with cancer.
And, they say behind her long-running narrative was a web of forged medical letters, bank payouts and theft from a rugby club – a fraud totalling more than $180,000.
Now, as Flint hides out in Wales from the fallout of her alleged elaborate tales, Herald senior crime and justice journalist Anna Leask looks at her case and speaks to those hurt the most by her cancer story.
Nicola Flint is now believed to be in Wales.
This is part two of a two-part A Moment In Crime special – Diagnosis? Deception.
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.
