THE despicable story of Katie Ringer sent shockwaves through families and communities across the UK.

Some were already suffering immeasurable turmoil clinging on to hope that their premature babies would live healthy lives, when Ringer tried to take advantage of their grief.

Others were mourning the loss of their children, while many were trying to enjoy new motherhood when their precious photographs were defaced with sickening messages.

It appears jealousy started Ringer off as she was upset her boyfriend had left her to start a relationship with Drewe Lock, 20.

She stole hundreds of photographs of Drewe’s still-born baby Sapphire, and used them for her own financial gain, while also hounding her victim with defaced photographs of her tragic tot.

Mums across Southend and Shoebury were falling victim to her wicked ways, and when they started to unravel that Ringer was behind it, they went to confront her.

Amazingly Ringer claimed she was the victim and told the police.

Officers ended up patrolling Ringer’s street concerned about the number of angry mums targetting her.

At the same time, Ringer was stealing the identity of a pretty, pregnant teen, and fabricating an excited tale of an expectant mother, complete with stolen photographs of baby bumps.

She also swiped photographs of sick children and claimed they were hers to con generous donors around the world out of their hard-earned cash.

Laura Acheson, 28, from Falkirk in Scotland, was another of Katie’s first known victims when photographs of her premature baby Tommy were taken. He is now 17 months old.

She said: “It made me feel physically sick as she had made some of the pictures of Tommy into shrines with praying hands as if he was dead.

“I still can’t look at the pictures she took. While she was doing this, Tommy was in a neonatal unit having been born 12 weeks premature, weighing just 1lb 6oz.”

Ringer managed to rack up more than £2,000 from donors around the world, who fell for her sob stories, including that she had given birth to a premature baby and needed money for special equipment.

Some, so desperate to help, even took a loan out.

More chillingly, Ringer claimed to have dead children and needed money for her daughter’s funeral and for her dead son’s keepsakes.

She also said a car crashed into her house and that she needed financial help as she was pregnant with twins, that she was homeless and she had children with special dietary requirements which she couldn’t afford to support.

Police soon turned Ringer from victim to suspect and charged her with eight counts of harassment, 14 of fraudulently collecting cash, and one of threatening to blow up one of her victim’s homes, which she pleaded guilty to last November.

"I feared she’d steal my baby"

A NEW mother feared Ringer would steal her actual baby after having her pictures stolen.

Kelly Holland, 20, didn’t know why Ringer was stealing the identity of her child Macie-Lea Shuker, when she was just one week old.

Someone told Kelly that Macie- Lea’s photographs had been taken and when she looked online, she saw her photographs had been copied and added to an account pretending to be a new mother called Amber Ryder.

When Kelly blocked access to her photographs, Ringer wrote on her Facebook account that the baby’s father had shaken her to death.

Echo: In fear – Kelly Holland with Macie-Lea

Kelly, who lives in Wigan, went to the police, but they told her they couldn’t do anything as she had accepted this fake account as a friend which gave Ringer permission to take photographs.

She said: “I felt awful. I thought it was my fault this was happening. People were feeling sorry for her and then going mad at me thinking I had stolen photographs of her baby. But they were mine.

“I felt sick. I was scared to go out in case she was from around here and wanted to take my baby.

“She could have been anyone. I was upset and angry.

“I don’t think any court sentence will stop her, whatever she gets. I wanted to see her go to prison. She needs help, this is not normal.”

Echo: