A MUM-of-two escaped jail yesterday despite illegally claiming more than £12,000 in benefits while working as a carer at a nursing home.

Nicola Tracy Phillips, 24, of Coed Llwydd Close in Blaenavon, even used a false name to help her in her scam, Caerphilly magistrates were told.

Phillips - who pleaded guilty to six offences and asked for 124 more to be taken into consideration - was warned she could have been sent to prison for the offences.

Instead she was given a 220-hour community punishment order.

The court heard that Phillips was earning £571 a month as a care assistant at a nursing home in Abergavenny when she was claiming benefits.

Ashley Harkus, prosecuting, said: "She was on income support and claiming housing benefit and council tax benefit and these claims were false because the defendant was working.

"An aggravating feature is that while she was working she was using another surname, Prole."

He added: "There was a £12,371.43 loss to public funds as a result of this fraud."

Mr Harkus said that when Phillips was interviewed on two occasions she denied the offence - but pleaded guilty when she was brought to court.

In mitigation, Chris Davies said Phillips had two children and was a person of previous good character.

He said she had been very stupid and shown a "considerable lack of judgment".

He said: "She has never been in trouble before in her life and she has been very fearful and tearful about the prospect of what might happen to her."

Ann Gray, chairman of the magistrates, ordered Phillips to complete the 220-hour community punishment order and pay costs of £75, describing the offences as "extremely serious" and carried out "over a very long period".

She said: "It is of obvious concern that you deliberately used a false name in order to continue your deception.

"You could have been sent to prison today."