BBC's The Mother of All Cons has been described as "absolutely nuts" by viewers. This three-part docu-series delves into the controversial Believe in Magic charity, founded by mother and daughter Jean O'Brien and Megan Bhari.
The Charity's Rise and Fall
Based on Jamie Bartlett's podcast, the series chronicles how the celebrity-backed charity, which created memories for seriously ill children, was ultimately an elaborate fraud. Megan and Jean, from Guildford, Surrey, established the charity in 2012, claiming inspiration from Megan's brain tumour diagnosis at age 16. The charity attracted support from celebrities including One Direction.
After three years of fundraising, Jean announced Megan needed medical treatment in America. Suspicious parents discovered the pair had actually gone to Disney World. A private investigator photographed them without the oxygen tanks they had claimed Megan needed. The Charity Commission found over £100,000 unaccounted for, with some funds transferred to Jean's personal account.
Megan Bhari's Death
Megan Bhari died aged 23 on March 28, 2018. An inquest determined her brain was "morphologically normal" and she never had a brain tumour. She died from an acute cardiac arrhythmia caused by fatty liver disease, with doctors noting she had been administered high doses of liquid morphine.
Megan's half-sister Nina believes she was a victim of fabricated or induced illness, formerly known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The NHS describes this as a rare form of abuse where a parent exaggerates or causes illness in a child. In a 2023 statement to the BBC, O'Brien said: "I loved and cared for my daughter. Suggesting I might have harmed her in any way at all is absolutely sickening."
O'Brien reportedly moved to France after the scandal, but her exact whereabouts remain unknown. The Mother of All Cons is available on BBC iPlayer.
