Brantford’s Kaitlyn Braun pleads guilty to more doula duping

Brantford’s notorious doula-defrauder, Kaitlyn Braun, convicted a year ago of 21 counts of fraud, criminal harassment, false pretenses and committing an indecent act, admitted to continuing the same bizarre offenses while she was on a strict house arrest last April.

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Using an assumed name, Braun connected with two more support workers, spinning a tale of being pregnant and needing help. Doulas normally contract with pregnant women to provide extensive support during labor and delivery.

But while Braun pleaded guilty to harassment, fraud and sending alarming messages, she didn’t get her wish to head to prison.

“That’s a fairly significant sentence,” said Justice Joe Fiorucci on Tuesday in Hamilton court as he was presented with a joint submission to collapse Braun’s previous community sentence and add another two years to it.

“Help me understand some things in this (victim impact) statement.”

Assistant Crown Simon McNaughton said he had “glossed over” some of the details of Braun’s offenses and of his previous, prurient convictions.

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“There appears to be a sexual dimension to the crimes,” said McNaughton.

“I’m not understanding the sexual motivation,” said the puzzled judge.

McNaughton said, according to reports and interviews, Braun herself doesn’t understand why she does what she does, but she reports being fascinated with pregnancy and the act of delivering a child from a young age.

“She claimed family members assaulted her and some of the doulas assaulted her. There were reports she was masturbating (during her communications with them) but we’re not asking her to admit these details.”

In a highly publicized sentencing hearing last February that attracted multiple media outlets, numerous doulas, podcasters and documentary-makers, Brantford’s Justice Robert Gee wrestled with how the woman should be sentenced.

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In that case, several dozen victims and other doulas reported being defrauded and traumatized by Braun who, in one case, indicated to a doula by telephone she had been sexually assaulted and delivered a stillbirth baby. The victim was led to believe Braun had died after a heart monitor sound slowly stopped.

The female victims reported multiple serious emotional impacts from their interactions with Braun. At least one left the profession.

The judge had to weigh an assessment that Braun would probably re-offend due to her “maladaptive personality” against the information that the only way she was likely to get better was with DBT – Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, an intensive program she could not access in jail.

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“We’d have to trust her,” Gee complained about the situation.

“It relates too much on Ms. Braun’s word, which it’s been amply demonstrated that we cannot do.”

Because judges are directed to accept joint submissions unless they’re ‘unhinged’, Gee finally agreed to a sentence of two years of house arrest for Braun, who was outfitted with a GPS ankle bracelet, and a total of five years of supervision.

Since her arrest by Hamilton Police, Braun has been back in custody and, on Tuesday was ready to be sentenced to prison.

“I know my client wanted to wrap things up today,” said MacDonald.

But Fiorucci asked to see Justice’s Gee’s decision, the previous pre-sentence report on Braun and a psychiatric assessment that was done.

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The judge also asked the lawyers to compile an agreed statement of facts he could look at.

“His Honor recognized the complexities of this case and its uniqueness,” said MacDonald afterwards.

“I appreciate the court likely wanting to balance all aspects regarding adjudicating a proper sentence for the new charges as well as collapsing its conditional sentence.”

Outside the courtroom, several doulas gathered to express their frustration at another delay.

“Both sides are OK with the sentence,” said one. “I don’t understand the justice system.”

Tracy Robb, who got roped into supporting Braun through one of her stories, told other victims “If I read your stories prior to having it happen myself, I would have had a hard time understanding how it impacted you.”

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Robb was a community engagement coordinator for a Hamilton organization that supports families in crisis when Braun connected in urgent need of ‘support’, saying she was 19, pregnant and the baby wasn’t going to make it to term.

After 18 hours on the phone with Braun, who elicited personal information from Robb and made excuses not to meet in person, Robb learned the woman wasn’t pregnant, hospitalized or have medical complications.

“How did I allow this to happen? I felt she was grooming me, asking for details about my own labor and opening up traumatic things for me.”

Braun’s case will return to the Hamilton court on March 6 for further sentencing submissions and possible sentencing at that point.

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