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A doctor was in “disbelief” after discovering his patient pleading for cancer treatment donations - despite giving her the all-clear.
Nicole Elkabbass, 42, from Broadstairs, is even said to have rapped the consultant gynaecologist for missing the alleged diagnosis, while raking in £45,000 from well-wishers.
The mother-of-one stands trial at Canterbury Crown Court this week for allegedly creating a GoFundMe page posing as an ovarian cancer victim.
Dr Graham Ross ordered an MRI, bloodworks and cutting-edge surgery to investigate the source of Elkabbass’ waves of pain in 2017.
The senior medic would go on vacation early 2018 after telling Elkabbass she carried “no signs of ovarian cancer”, the court heard.
But the East Kent Hospitals specialist was struck by “disbelief” hearing Elkabbass had set up the ‘Nicole needs our help treatments’ page, ratcheting up pledges worth thousands of pounds.
It came with a photo portraying Elkabbass as frail, laying on her back in a hospital bed under a blanket, eyes closed and mouth open.
Dr Ross told the jury he wrote to Elkabbass asking for more details on her alleged diagnosis in March, as his potential failings would automatically trigger an NHS investigation.
“When you get news like that you want to have it confirmed,” he said.
Asked if there was a possibility a benign cyst was mistaken for a developed, aggressive form of cancer, he added: “The time scale was just not correct.”
And so days later Elkabbass told the doctor’s secretary, Claire Davies, she was “disappointed” the diagnosis was missed and that he "only chose to contact her now”.
She said the doctor “was not her priority and she is dealing with things herself”, adding her ovary was cancerous and she was being treated privately.
In another call she said she will forward medical papers in the future but “now is her time and not Mr Ross’s”.
Meanwhile, the doctor faced a tug-of-war between patient confidentiality, that she was well, and how she was presenting on GoFundMe - a late-stage cancer victim.
But the Medical Defence Union - a body that provides healthcare professionals with support - advised he provided a witness statement, the court heard.
Prosecutor Ben Irwin asked the doctor if the three separate tests showed “any signs of ovarian cancer.”
“No, not at all,” he replied.
Elkabbass, represented by Oliver Kirk, is accused of using ill-gotten gains to splash out on jaunts abroad and tickets to Tottenham Hotspur, as well as restaurants and “heavy gambling”.
The picture she used for her GoFundMe page was actually taken at the Spencer Hospital in Margate, where she had been treated for a separate operation two years prior, the court heard.
Elkabbass, of Edge End Road, is facing two counts of fraud that relate to money she received between February and August, 2018.
She denies one count of fraud and possession of criminal property, namely charitable donations.
Her case is yet to be heard and the trial continues.
To read more of our in depth coverage of all of the major trials coming out of crown and magistrates' courts across the county, click here.
