A mother of three young children wept in the dock as she was spared jail for a benefit fraud totalling nearly £30,000.

Lisa Betts, 31, of Edensor Road, Keighley, made a claim for tax credits which was fraudulent from the outset, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Betts had pleaded guilty at Bingley Magistrates Court to dishonestly pocketing benefits for more than four years.

Prosecutor Michael Elliker told the crown court she was already with her partner Kevin Winter when she put in a claim for Tax Credits in August, 2002.

She gave birth to their child in May 2003. The tax credits payments continued until June last year, leading to an overpayment of £29,788.

Mr Elliker said Betts conceded to investigators she knew the claim was dishonest from the outset. She was of good character and had three children aged ten, seven and four. Betts said she spent the cash on living expenses and on her children.

As Betts wept in the dock, the judge, Recorder Jonathan Rose, assured her she was not going to jail. He said she had in effect stolen money from everyone who paid their taxes.

But there were "extremely exceptional circumstances" to save her from a prison sentence. He ordered Betts to do 150 hours unpaid work for the community.

The judge warned her that any breach of the order could lead to a jail sentence. And he said steps would be taken to retrieve the money she had taken dishonestly.