A mother who pretended she was dying from cancer to pocket goodwill cash from bosses and workmates has narrowly escaped going to prison.

Karen Marriott, 34, conned £2,411 from generous colleagues at Greggs bakers after saying she was suffering from terminal leukaemia.

But Marriott, of Barham Terrace, Ravenscliffe, was rumbled when a former workmate saw her alive and well in Bradford city centre more than a year later.

Marriott pleaded guilty on December 13 to four charges of obtaining money by deception while she was a production operative in the confectionery department at Greggs in Bramley.

The case was adjourned for probation service and psychiatric reports. Yesterday Judge Alistair McCallum sentenced Marriott to nine months jail suspended for two years. He ordered her to pay back the £2,411 at £30 a week.

The judge told her: "What you did, especially to fellow employees, was a particularly wicked deception and by seeking their pity you managed to defraud them of what was probably, to them, a very substantial sum. But you at least had the grace to plead guilty and acknowledge your guilt."

The judge said that the offences could be marked only by a sentence of imprisonment but mitigating factors enabled him to suspend it.

Prosecutor Richard Gioserano told Leeds Crown Court that Marriott began working for Greggs in 1996.

In January 2001, she went to see the human resources manager and told her she had leukaemia and the indications were that it was terminal.

Mr Gioserano said that Marriott was at the time seeing her GP for a number of reasons, including stress, hair loss and abdominal pains. But the claim that she had terminal leukaemia was "wholly fabricated by her".

Marriott broke down in tears when she revealed the seemingly devastating news to the human resources manager, said Mr Gioserano.

And he told how Greggs varied Marriott's working hours and gave her time off to attend hospital appointments.

In March 2001, Marriott stopped work altogether though she was still being paid. Bosses at Greggs wrote to her asking for medical information in June 2001 but there was no response and Marriott failed to turn up for meeting at the company to discuss how she was doing.

In July that year, Greggs terminated her employment. They still believed that she was dying but they acted reluctantly because they were given no other option.

Meanwhile Marriott had received £907 in cash from a whip-round by generous colleagues to pay for a holiday.

Greggs Charity Committee had donated £568 and the company had written-off a £259 debt Marriott owed from a personal loan. They also stumped up £677 in discretionary sick pay. Mr Gioserano said Marriott's total profit from the scam was £2,411.

He said Greggs were "sadly resigned" to having no further contact from Marriott.

But in late 2002 a former Greggs workmate, who was himself on sick leave, was surprised to see her alive and well in Bradford city centre.

He alerted his bosses and the police were called in.

A consultant at Leeds General Infirmary whom Marriott had told Greggs she was seeing had no knowledge of her and her GP could not confirm that she had leukaemia.

When she was arrested in September 2004 Marriott told police that it had been a false diagnosis and it had taken nine months to discover she was suffering from stress and depression related illnesses.

Marriott claimed to police that she had written to Greggs offering to repay the money but had received no reply.

Sarah Barlow, for Marriott, told the court: "She will and can pay the money back."

Miss Barlow said Marriott and her husband were going through divorce proceedings and she had problems with rent arrears.

After the hearing, Inspector Paul Johnston, of Pudsey police, said the sentence handed to Marriott should act as a warning to others who think about obtaining money by deception.

"Where police suspect money has been obtained illegally we will prosecute," he said.

"Companies and employees who give money from the goodness of their hearts should not be hoodwinked."

A spokesman for Greggs said the company did not wish to comment as it felt the court case had resolved the issue.