A WOMAN conned banks out of more than £17,400 by pretending to be members of her family to get credit, a court was told.

Caroline Garnett, 28, who had been privately educated, stole and went on shopping sprees in a bid to overcome low self-esteem and the belief she was fat and ugly.

Her parents shopped her to the police after they became aware of her two year campaign, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Garnett, of Manchester Road, Barnoldswick, was spared immediate jail with the judge saying she had escaped it by the skin of her teeth' Recorder Martin Walsh told the defendant she had had the sort of benefits that most people who appeared before the courts did not have.

The judge said Garnett, who had offended on bail, had pleaded guilty to serious offences of dishonesty and anybody who had read the statements of her family members could not fail to be moved by the anguish and heartache she had caused.

He added: "You caused that for your own personal selfish reasons. You decided to abuse the trust they placed in you by obtaining and using credit against their personal details to allow yourself to obtain financial benefits."

The defendant was given 12 months in prison suspended for two years with 240 hours unpaid work and supervision for a year. She admitted three offences of deception, making a false representation to get a Marks and Spencer credit card and theft of petrol. Garnett asked for 14 other offences to be considered. She had no previous convictions.

Slivia Dacre, prosecuting, told the court the defendant used information from members of her own family to obtain either credit cards or credit.

Garnett got a Royal Bank of Scotland credit card from the account belonging to her grandmother, a credit card on her mother's account and a Freeman agency account using her grandmother's details.

She was arrested, interviewed and bailed. Her family continued to allow her into their home and she took advantage of that by taking the credit card details from her mother's M and S account and using them to obtain goods and services.

The defendant was arrested and interviewed and made full admissions and was bailed again. She then drove off from a petrol station without paying for fuel to the tune of £25.

Miss Dacre added Garnett obtained a total of £17,435.

Tim Storrie, defending said Garnett was loved and had been given every advantage during her life. Her parents had reported her to police.

Mr Storrie said Garnett suffered "crushingly depressingly low self esteem" and the way she medicated it was to steal and buy.

He said the defendant who wanted to work in recruitment, was remorseful and ashamed. Mr Storrie added Garnett was an only child and had been privately educated but had always misunderstood affection for material wealth. He said: "She always felt ugly and worried about her weight."