Father of fantasist who ruined lecturer's life with her lies says his daughter 'deserves to be punished'
Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC: 'You were like an uninvited cuckoo fledging in the nest of a willow warbler – an unexpected offspring demanding to receive constant attention'
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The father of a callous fantasist who destroyed the life of her lecturer by pretending she had terminal cancer to make her care for her has said she “deserves to be punished”.
Elisa Bianco, 22, was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison last week after admitting she stalked and caused serious harm or distress to Sally Retallack, 49.
Mrs Retallack was duped into believing that Bianco was severely unwell, was suffering abuse, and needed extensive care and attention – a ruse which ultimately cost the teacher her marriage, home and job.
Bianco’s father Leo has said he does not understand what drove his daughter to such extreme behaviour, but believes her punishment to be just.
He told The Sun: “What she has done is horrible and she deserves to be punished.
“I’ve got no idea why she started telling all the lies. She certainly wasn’t an unloved child.
“But if she knew someone had an illness, she would pick up on that and all of a sudden she would have it as well.”
Bianco met Mrs Retallack, a mother-of-four, on a college course and convinced her to let her move into her home by pretending she was abused by her parents and had just three months to live with a malignant tumour.
Mrs Retallack eventually gave up her job to care for Bianco and dropped her off at hospital every day for supposed treatment - only for the student to sit in a café in her pyjamas and dress herself in fake bandages.
She was so concerned about Bianco that she spent £2,000 on fulfilling her wish-list of events to complete before dying.
Truro Crown Court heard how Bianco also drove a wedge between Mrs Retallack and her husband, causing them to split.
She then posed as a man online to become Mrs Retallack's love interest, claiming to be a “recently widowed” hospital consultant, before inventing a cancer diagnosis for the 'man' and killing him off before they could meet.
Mrs Retallack has now moved to France.
She told the Daily Mirror: “This has totally finished my life as I know it.”
Sentencing Bianco, Judge Christopher Harvey Clark QC said it was the “most extraordinary case I have had to deal with in a long time”.
He added: “You were like an uninvited cuckoo fledging in the nest of a willow warbler – an unexpected offspring demanding to receive constant attention.
“Most chilling was the callous and cruel deception to create a fictitious hospital consultant.
“You heartlessly manipulated Mrs Retallack’s deepest emotions. No sentence will compensate her.”