A 44-year-old artist from Grimsby could be imprisoned after confessing she deceived the NHS while pursuing a £3 million compensation claim.
Kae Burnell-Chambers acknowledged in the High Court that she misrepresented her physical condition, having asserted she suffered from severe disability following hospital treatment.
The artist had maintained she required walking aids for even minimal movement, along with wheelchairs, mobility scooters and adapted accommodation.
Yet evidence emerged revealing a starkly different reality through surveillance recordings and online posts that captured her walking freely, dancing and competing in body-painting events.
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|A 44-year-old artist from Grimsby could be imprisoned after confessing she deceived the NHS while pursuing a £3 million compensation claim (stock image)
Court proceedings heard that Burnell-Chambers participated in five body-painting contests during 2018, including an appearance at Coventry Comic Con where she was filmed creating artwork and speaking to media about her craft.
The following year saw her attend seven such events, among them Austria's World Bodypainting Festival.
At Lincolnshire's Kustom Kulture Blast Off, footage captured her receiving extensive body art before performing in exhibitions and dancing.
Sadie Crapper, acting for Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, stated that Burnell-Chambers had "fraudulently exaggerated her symptoms for the purposes of her clinical negligence claim".
These performances contrasted dramatically with recorded medical consultations where she appeared to struggle walking short distances.
Burnell-Chambers holds a master's degree in fine art from Lincoln University and has experienced chronic back problems, undergoing spinal decompression in 2014.
She attended Grimsby's Diana, Princess of Wales Hospital emergency department in 2016, reporting leg numbness and back discomfort.
Following diagnostic imaging, she received further spinal surgery at Hull Royal Infirmary. She subsequently reported leg weakness and pain, attributing her condition to alleged delays in diagnosis and care, launching her compensation claim in 2019.
Covert surveillance in 2021 showed her walking without assistance on the very day she described severe disability to a consultant neurosurgeon.
Burnell-Chambers has confessed to contempt of court regarding her witness testimony and how she presented herself to medical professionals during her negligence case.
She acknowledged her movement was almost typical "on good days" and confessed to deliberately demonstrating what she believed represented her functioning "at its worst" during expert assessments.
The NHS trust has requested her imprisonment when she returns for sentencing in October.
An NHS Resolution representative commented: "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."