Man who pretended to be a doctor to find a boyfriend faces jail time

Dec 23 2017
Written by Meka Beresford

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A man who pretended to be a doctor in order to find a boyfriend is likely to face jail time.

Nicholas Brett Delaney has pleaded guilty to attempted fraud and entering premises with intent after he was found out to be faking his role as a doctor at two hospitals in Australia.

The 25-year-old frequented Lady Cliento Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House in South Brisbane for a period of seven months between May and December.

Delaney convinced staff at the hospitals that he was actually Dr Nick Delaney and fooled them into giving him access to staff-only areas.

While in these areas he stole identification to further prop up his act.

He was caught after staff realised his lack of medical knowledge when he mispronounced basic medical terms.

Delaney, who will face sentencing on January 29, told detectives that he initially started to pretend to be a doctor in the hopes that he would find a boyfriend.

However, he admitted that he became such good friends with the staff at the hospital that he became too embarrassed to give up the fraudulent act.

Delaney’s sentencing has been temporarily suspended as he appeared at the Brisbane Arrest Court without a lawyer earlier this week (December 21).

Magistrate Stuart Shearer said that Delaney needed to evaluate the seriousness of his offences and appear in court with proper legal representation for his sentencing.

“You shouldn’t underestimate the seriousness of your offences.

“It’s hardly a trivial offence to be impersonating a doctor in a children’s hospital over an extended period of time,” Shearer said.