Sister’s illness used as excuse for leave, Facebook post exposes woman’s lie

Lying about taking leave is wrong, and in the age of social media, this mistake can prove fatal. The same happened with a female employee in London.

Lying for leave cost an employee dearly. A Facebook post exposed her lie, and she had to lose her job. An emergency worker named Nattalie Twomey had told her boss that her sister was very ill and requested a few days of leave to visit her. However, a Facebook post caught her lie.

Leave granted, but the boss became suspicious

According to a report by Mirror UK, Nattalie Twomey emailed her boss at the London Ambulance Service (LAS) stating that her sister's health had suddenly deteriorated and she had been admitted to the ICU. She needed to travel to Norfolk immediately. Nattalie said this a few days before Christmas, which made her boss suspicious of her story. Although the leave was approved, they began monitoring Nattalie's social media activities.

How Natalie Twomey's lie was exposed

LAS staff found some pictures on Nattalie Twomey's sister's Facebook account. These included pictures of home decorations for Christmas. These pictures were posted in 2022 on the same day Nattalie claimed her sister was ill. When caught in her lie, Nattalie Twomey stated that the pictures were posted by her husband, not her sister. She insisted her sister was genuinely unwell and hospitalised. However, her claims were not substantiated. It was discovered that Nattalie had lied to spend Christmas with her family.

Lied on multiple occasions

Nattalie Twomey's name has also surfaced in drink-driving incidents. She had lied on several previous occasions. She was dismissed from her job in November 2023 but kept this fact hidden. During the renewal of her registration with the Health and Care Professionals Tribunal Service, Nattalie failed to disclose the action taken against her. She also lied, claiming she was not currently working due to back and knee injuries. This led the case to the Health and Care Professions Tribunal, where every complaint related to Nattalie Twomey was reviewed.

No relief from the tribunal

The tribunal found that Nattalie Twomey had continuously lied for her benefit between 2022 and 2024. In its ruling, the tribunal stated that Nattalie Twomey had misled her employer. She was well aware that her sister was not ill. She took leave by lying, which was a direct violation of the rules. Based on all the evidence, the tribunal upheld Nattalie Twomey's dismissal. Thus, a Facebook post exposed Nattalie's lie, and she had to lose her job.