Latest news with #KaeBurnellChambers
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Health
- Telegraph
Artist who sued NHS for £3m disability compensation caught dancing
A body paint artist who filed a £3 million NHS compensation claim is facing jail after her disability claims were exposed as 'fraudulent' by a video of her dancing at a festival. Kae Burnell-Chambers, 44, claimed that delayed diagnosis by NHS doctors had led to nerve damage which left her struggling to walk, get out of a car or even dress herself. But a video unveiled at the High Court instead showed the artist posing and strutting whilst painted as a fantasy warrior at a festival in 2019. The video was filmed months before she launched her multimillion pound damages bid over delayed diagnosis of cauda equina syndrome, a condition involving damage to nerves at the end of the spinal cord. She is now facing a potential jail sentence after Judge Jonathan Glasson KC found her guilty of contempt of court as Ms Burnell-Chambers admitted she had 'misrepresented' her symptoms during the claim. Sadie Crapper, barrister for Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust, told the court that after NHS doctors missed early signs of the condition in 2016, Ms Burnell-Chambers, from Lincs launched a bid for damages in 2019. She attended medico-legal appointments complaining of 'a whole array of disabilities,' saying she needed help to dress and to get out of the car - and when she went to see a doctor had 'displayed a laboured gait and used a stick,' the barrister said. However, she went on to drop her claim in 2022 after social media videos and surveillance footage showed that the picture of her disabilities she had been presenting to support her claim was 'fundamentally dishonest,' said Ms Crapper. The barrister said Ms Burnell-Chambers said she was 'significantly disabled' by the delayed diagnosis and could walk 'only with a stick' and required aids such as a 'wheelchair, boot hoist and Motability vehicle'. A core part of the NHS case was based on a series of social media videos that showed her moving 'without any sign of pain'. One particular video from the Kustom Kulture Blast Off in August 2019 'shows her having her body extensively painted and then parading in a show where she walks freely and dances without need for a walking aid,' the barrister said. Ms Crapper said that Ms Burnell-Chambers had 'fraudulently exaggerated her symptoms for the purposes of her clinical negligence claim.' The court heard Ms Burnell-Chambers admitted that her condition varies and her mobility is almost normal on good days, and that she had been exaggerating when she saw the medico legal expert doctor. 'She admitted she had been fundamentally dishonest,' but nevertheless has real 'ongoing disabilities,' her barrister Ben Bradley KC told the court. The judge, giving his ruling, said she had signed an admission that she had 'deceived' the examining doctors 'and deliberately changed my presentation' and that in doing so had 'deliberately interfered with the administration of justice'. In her admission statement, she said her mobility is near normal 'on good days,' but 'on bad days' she considers herself to be disabled. 'I know it was wrong to misrepresent my presentation whilst making a civil claim. I accept that I deserve to be punished as a result,' she added. At the end of a half-day hearing, the judge concluded: 'I find the defendant guilty of contempt of court on the basis of her admissions.' Ms Burnell-Chambers will now return to court to be sentenced in October. The maximum term for contempt of court is two years' imprisonment.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Model, 44, filmed parading in fantasy body paint at festival after falsely claiming NHS blunder left her in a wheelchair in £3m compensation claim
A model who claimed she had been left in a wheelchair because of an NHS blunder was filmed posing in fantasy body paint ahead of her £3m compensation claim. Kae Burnell-Chambers, 44, insisted she struggled to walk, get out of a car and dress herself because of nerve damage caused by delayed diagnosis of her condition. But social media videos from the Kustom Culture Blast Off festival painted a different picture as they showed Ms Burnell-Chambers was in fact mobile to the extent she could parade around as a fantasy warrior along with other body paint models. The video was filmed months before Ms Burnell-Chambers launched her multimillion-pound damages bid over delayed diagnosis of her cauda equina syndrome - a condition involving damage to nerves at the end of the spinal cord. Whilst the condition was genuine, the 44-year-old admitted exaggerating her symptoms in light of the footage showing no signs of her having difficulty getting around. The model now faces a potential jail sentence after Judge Jonathan Glasson KC found her guilty of contempt of court, as she admitted she had 'misrepresented' her symptoms during her claim. Cauda equina syndrome is a condition that occurs when the bundle of nerves below the end of the spinal cord, known as the cauda equina, is damaged. Signs and symptoms include low back pain, numbness and pain that radiates down the leg, but early diagnosis and treatment can lead to long term effects being much reduced. Sadie Crapper, barrister for Northern Lincolnshire And Goole NHS Foundation Trust, told the court that after NHS doctors missed early signs of the condition in 2016, Ms Burnell-Chambers, from Lincolnshire, a fine art graduate specialising in body painting, launched a bid for damages in 2019. Ms Burnell-Chambers was said to have attended medico-legal appointments where she complained of 'a whole array of disabilities', and said she needed help to dress and to get out of the car. The barrister explained that when she went to see a doctor she had 'displayed a laboured gait and used a stick'. However, Ms Burnell-Chambers went on to drop her claim in 2022 after social media videos and surveillance footage showed the picture of her disabilities she had been presenting to support her claim was 'fundamentally dishonest'. Ms Crapper said: '[Ms Burnell-Chambers] contended that she was significantly disabled by reason of the consequences of the delayed diagnosis of a second episode of cauda equina that she, for example, walked only with a stick and to a maximum of 100 in consequence thereof required significant levels of care, aids and equipment, including mobility scooter and wheelchair, boot hoist and Motability vehicle, single level accommodation etc.' The barrister added that 'following disclosure of surveillance evidence and social media material in the clinical negligence claim, she served a notice of discontinuance'. One of the videos was filmed the same morning Ms Burnell-Chambers saw the medico-legal expert displaying high levels of disability, though the film showed her 'at a petrol station with her mum walking with no problem'. A major element of the NHS case was based on a series of social media videos showing Ms Burnell-Chambers working as a bodypaint artist and model at a series of conventions and festivals around the UK. One particular video from the Kustom Kulture Blast Off in August 2019 'shows her having her body extensively painted and then parading in a show where she walks freely and dances without need for a walking aid', the barrister said. Ms Crapper added: 'By no later than 2017, she had recovered well enough to make a return to body painting. 'What you see in these videos is somebody who goes to conventions around the country. 'She's seen to walk without a mobility aid, crouch and converse about the work she's doing freely and without any sign of pain. 'The person seen on the videos is markedly different from the person seen in the medico legal documents and her witness statement. 'She has at all times known she participated in these conventions, undertook this painting and modelling, and could walk as she did on the footage now available.' Ms Crapper explained it was the NHS Trust's case that Ms Burnell-Chambers had 'fraudulently exaggerated her symptoms for the purposes of her clinical negligence claim'. She said: '[Ms Burnell-Chambers] now admits that she is in contempt of court and accepts that the custody threshold has been crossed in respect of her wrongdoing.' The court heard Ms Burnell-Chambers admitted her condition varies and her mobility is almost normal on good days, and that she had been exaggerating when she saw the medico legal expert doctor. 'She admitted she had been fundamentally dishonest,'' but nevertheless has real 'ongoing disabilities', her barrister Ben Bradley KC told the court. The judge, giving his ruling, said she had signed an admission that she had 'deceived' the examining doctors 'and deliberately changed my presentation' and that in doing so had 'deliberately interfered with the administration of justice'. In her admission statement, she said her mobility is near normal 'on good days' but 'on bad days' she considers herself to be disabled. On seeing some experts on the claim, she deliberately attempted to demonstrate what she perceived her function was at its worst, without telling the experts that was what she was doing, it was heard. 'I know it was wrong to misrepresent my presentation whilst making a civil claim. I accept that I deserve to be punished as a result,' she added. At the end of a half-day hearing, the judge concluded: 'I find the defendant guilty of contempt of court on the basis of her admissions.' He went on to grant permission for contempt proceedings to be discontinued against Ms Burnell-Chambers' mother, Lynne Clifford, on the basis of a statement she made supporting her daughter's claim. Ms Burnell-Chambers will now return to court to be sentenced in October. The maximum term for contempt of court is two years' imprisonment.
Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Times
Artist misled NHS about disability when seeking £3m payout
An artist who sought £3 million compensation from the NHS could face jail after admitting misleading it by claiming she was left severely disabled by a hospital. Kae Burnell-Chambers claimed she needed a stick to walk even a few paces but surveillance video and social media posts showed her strolling unaided, dancing and taking part in body painting competitions, the High Court was told. Burnell-Chambers, 44, claimed mistakes by the NHS in 2016 meant she required significant levels of care and equipment including a mobility scooter and wheelchair, Motability vehicle, and single-level accommodation. However, investigations showed Burnell-Chambers had taken part in five bodypainting competitions in 2018. At the Coventry Comic Con in September 2018 she was recorded painting her model and being interviewed on camera about her work. The following year she took part in seven conventions, including the World Bodypainting Festival in Austria. At the Kustom Kulture Blast Off in Lincolnshire, she was shown having her body extensively painted and then parading in a show and dancing. Sadie Crapper, representing the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, told the court on Friday that Burnell-Chambers had 'fraudulently exaggerated her symptoms for the purposes of her clinical negligence claim'. Her performances at the bodypainting competitions were said to be 'in stark contrast' to her filmed meetings with medical experts during which she struggled to walk a few paces. An undercover investigator filmed Burnell-Chambers walking unaided on the same day in 2021 that she told a consultant neurosurgeon she was severely disabled. Burnell-Chambers, who has a master's degree in fine art from the University of Lincoln, admitted contempt of court over her witness statement and her presentation to experts in her claim for clinical negligence. She admitted her mobility was near normal 'on good days' and claimed that when she had seen some experts she had deliberately attempted to demonstrate what she perceived her function was 'at its worst', the court was told. Burnell-Chambers, from Grimsby, has a history of lower back pain and had decompression surgery in 2014. Two years later she visited the accident and emergency department of the Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital in Grimsby, complaining of numbness in her right leg and back pain. After an MRI scan she had decompression surgery on her lower spine at the Hull Royal Infirmary. Burnell-Chambers later complained of weakness and pain in her legs and disability which she blamed on negligent delay in diagnosis and treatment. She made a legal claim for compensation in 2019. The NHS trust has applied for Burnell-Chambers to be committed to jail when she appears at court in October. A spokesman for NHS Resolution, which handles compensation claims, said: 'We remain committed to ensuring fair compensation for patients who have suffered harm due to NHS care. However, this case serves as a clear reminder of the serious consequences faced by those who pursue dishonest or exaggerated claims against the NHS.'
