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A fake baby scandal has rocked a Scots community after claims a young “mum” duped her friends and family into believing a doll was her newborn. Kira Cousins, from Airdrie, is accused of wearing a prothetic bump before pretending to give birth and parading a plastic Reborn dolly as a baby girl named Bonnie-Leigh Joyce, to deceive those closest to her. The 22-year-old shared the announcement of her "daughter" on social media earlier this month, claiming she gave birth alone as Bonnie-Leigh arrived in the world on October 10, weighing 5lbs 4oz. In the weeks leading up to the "birth", Kira is shown sharing photos of baby scans and videos of her lavish gender reveal party , along with footage of the "baby" kicking in her tummy, as well as a series of pictures of newborn clothes and items loved ones bought for Bonnie-Leigh, including a £1,000 pram and a car seat. She even posted about hospital appointments, and complications with the baby, claiming ante-natal tests had picked up a heart defect. But outrage unfolded when Kira was outed online as a liar as friends told how her family and the baby's "dad" discovered six-day-old Bonnie-Leigh was a doll when her mum found the prop in her bedroom. Screenshots of messages reported to have been sent by Kira shortly afterwards appear to show her telling the man she claimed was Bonnie-Leigh's dad that their baby had died . Kira Cousins refused to comment when contacted by the Record. In a statement shared on TikTok she wrote: "In my own words let's set this straight. I was in bed when my mother came into my room and found it to be a doll. "Prior to this, I had been keeping myself away from literally everyone. "The next thing I know, I was confronted by all the family. Don't for one minute think they let me away with this, they haven't. "And none of them knew. Neither did the dad and his family." Pal Neave McRobert said suspicions first arose after loved ones noticed no one had heard the "baby" cry and Kira refused to let anyone touch her as she claimed Bonnie-Leigh had recently visited Wishaw General Hospital for checks due to ill-health. In a video statement filmed on October 16, Neave said: "I noticed Kira had deleted every picture and video of Bonnie-Leigh from our chats. "I asked her why and she ignored me. I then asked the baby's dad "Is this a doll?” and he said, "Yes, it’s a doll". "She even went to the extreme of texting him saying, "Bonnie-Leigh died". "I can’t imagine how he must feel right now and everyone else who has been lied to for months and months. “Everybody believed her. She had a gender reveal, she posted scan photos and even said the baby had a hole in its heart. "Then she texted me saying the baby was born. We were all so happy.” Neave shared screenshots of her conversations with Kira about Bonnie-Leigh, alongside others showing the doll in a series of now-deleted posts from the "new mum". Neave also told how she met her former friend with "baby" Bonnie-Leigh when she took them to a supermarket . She continued: "I feel worse because I’m one of the few people to meet this "baby". "I feel totally used and drained. Everyone got conned by her." Thousands reacted to Neave's video sharing comments of horror and disgust . Reborn dolls like the one used in the shocking scam retail between £30 to £2000. The dolls are designed to look like real-life babies. Some versions of the dolls may make a crying sound and some have fake tears. Some dolls can even produce wet pee nappies . A friend of Kira's family, who asked not to be named, also told the Record of her shock at the news but said she suspected the pregnancy was fake all along. Describing Kira as a "serial liar", she said: "I have known her for 10 years and she has lied about all sorts. "She came into my house twice before this doll appeared and me and daughter noticed straight away that her bump wasn't real. It was all lumpy. "She was wearing very thin pyjamas and you could see the straps on her back holding it on. "When she posted the picture of her supposed baby, it knew looked like a doll but I would have been slaughtered if I had spoken out about all this and said I didn't think any of it was real. "People would have thought I was crazy."
