A mum who lied about being severely disabled to falsely claim more than £12,000 in benefits has been spared jail.

Debra Slingsby, 28, from Beckfield Close, Cross Hills, lied to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the severity of a disability and made up fake childcare costs to increase her tax credits payments.

Now, the mother-of-two has been handed a 12-month community order and told to complete 80 hours unpaid work by magistrates in Skipton.

Mike O’Grady, assistant director of criminal investigation at HMRC, said: “Debra Slingsby probably thought we wouldn’t check up on her claim. She doubtless thought it was ‘easy money’.”

Slingsby made a tax credits claim as a single parent in 2007.

She began work in 2008 and from that date claimed £300 per week in childcare costs. She reported a change in childcare provider in 2009 and claimed her costs had increased to £380 per week.

However, investigations showed that her childcare costs had actually stopped in 2009 and her children had never attended the second provider she claimed to use.

Slingsby also claimed for the severe disability element of working tax credit from 2008. Although entitled to the disability element, she was not entitled to severe disability element and failed to correct this during annual renewals.

During interview she disputed claiming for the severe disability but admitted that her children had not attended any childcare facility between September 2009 and June 2010.

At Skipton Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Slingsby admitted tax credits fraud.