text: Police have charged a woman with fraud after she allegedly faked a terminal illness to raise thousands of dollars from sympathetic strangers. In August 2014 Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds established an online fundraising page claiming she had ovarian cancer and seeking money for medical treatment. Police alleged the 31-year-old mother from Belmont, near Newcastle in NSW, used a falsified doctor's certificate stating she had terminal cancer to raise about $2500 from her page. In February, Ms Edmunds told a Belmont Local Court she was put up to the act by her violent partner John Heagney, and did it because she feared for her life. Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds, 31, was issued a court notice this week for the offence of two counts of obtaining benefits by deception, after she faked having terminal cancer to raise money in 2014 . In October, a report was made to police regarding Ms Edmund's activities, and detectives from the Lake Macquarie Local Area Command soon after launched an investigation. She was issued a court notice this week for the offence of two counts of obtaining benefits by deception, and will appear at Belmont Local Court in June. Police inquiries into the matter are continuing and investigators are appealing for anyone with information to come forward. Ms Edmunds went into hiding after revelations of her alleged fraud came to light last year. ‘I was in fear for my life,’ she told Belmont Local Court, near Lake Macquarie in the Hunter Valley north of Sydney, at a hearing in February. She said Mr Heagney had tried to kill her and had severely beaten her on two occasions last year. Heagney claims Ms Edmunds faked the violence and was a self-harmer who punched herself, and that the two dates on which the alleged violence took place, October 20 and November 17 last year, related to the faking of the cancer. In April last year, Ms Edmunds sat her family down and told them she had cancer and doctors had given her just three years to live. She went to great lengths to present herself as a terminal cancer patient, shaving her head and faking hospital visits for chemotherapy treatment. Strangers set up a Facebook page and online crowd-funding account to raise money for her – but the ruse was exposed in November when Heaghney posted a status update that Ms Edmunds was not sick at all. Ms Edmunds’ stepdaughter, Kyala, 19, even got a tattoo on her chest in dedication of her stepmother when she thought she was dying of cancer. The tattoo read: 'Where there is love there is hope ... Elle'. Ms Edmunds said  she believed her mind had tricked her into believing she had the terminal illness – and she even underwent chemotherapy using pills she bought on the internet . Ms Edmunds told Belmont Local Court former partner John Heagney (pictured) forced her to fake the illness . In April last year, Ms Edmunds sat her family down and told them she had cancer and doctors had given her just three years to live . Ms Edmunds said her father and brothers and sisters had been 'shattered' by the cancer 'diagnosis' - and even more so when they found out it was fake. At the time, it was believed Heagney then ended their relationship after learning of Ms Edmunds’ deception. In a hearing in February, Ms Edmunds said Heagney was devastated about the ruse, but not because she deceived him. 'He was shattered because we'd been found out. He was in on it just as much as me. It was his documentation, doctors. 'I went through with it because I was in fear. 'I had to tell people that I had cancer under Johnny's instructions because I had his gun charges and that was the only way for me to get off the gun charges,' she told the court. 'If I hadn't done it I would have been killed.' It’s alleged the 31-year-old Belmont mother falsified a certificate from a Sydney doctor that stated she had the disease, and allegedly raised about $2500 from the page . Ms Edmunds’ stepdaughter, Kyala, 19, (right) even got a tattoo on her chest in dedication of her stepmother when she thought she was dying of cancer . The mother from Lake Macquarie, NSW, went to great lengths to convince friends, family, and strangers that she had cancer, shaving her head and faking hospital visits for chemotherapy treatments . Last November, Ms Edmunds told Woman’s Day she genuinely believed she was sick. She said she believed her mind had tricked her into thinking she had the terminal illness – and she even underwent chemotherapy using pills she bought on the internet. Ms Edmunds told the magazine she was sorry for her deception. The court heard today that Ms Edmunds last year pleaded guilty at Belmont Local Court to possessing unlicensed firearms, which she claimed  were Heagney's weapons. Ms Edmunds, who has fled to Queensland and says she is in hiding and living 'in fear of my life', arrived at court with her mother, Judy Edmunds, and three support people including a domestic violence refuge worker. Ms Edmunds told the court Heagney had made vicious verbal and physical attacks on her on the dates in October and November last year. She said a row had erupted on October 20. 'John started to yell at me and call me ... a f***ing dumb c***, a stupid sl** [and] nothing but a piece of s***, I'm going to kill you. 'Johnny ... punched me in the face with a closed fist. I said "well, just kill me now". I went into the bathroom. He came from behind me and put his arms around and covered my face and nose and stopped me from breathing.' Heagney said he felt he 'was having a nervous breakdown' because he had been acting as 'a full time carer for Elle.' Ms Edmunds (left) told the court Heagney had made vicious verbal and physical attacks on her on the dates in October and November last year .
target: Elizabeth 'Elle' Edmunds was charged with two counts of fraud .
  The 31-year-old mother will appear at Belmont Local Court in June .
  The Lake Macquarie woman faked having stage six ovarian cancer .
  She said she believed her mind tricked her into thinking she had illness .
  She also said that her former partner forced her to fake the disease .
  Police inquiries are continuing and investigators have appealed for anyone with information to come forward .