A FORMER council planning officer faces jail after admitting she pretended to be a qualified barrister to get ahead.

Monika Juneja, 36, used false qualifications to get jobs including a role as a planning officer at Brighton and Hove Council in March 2009.

She repeatedly lied about her degree and law qualifications, a court heard.

Juneja, who went on to become a Tory councillor and deputy leader of the Conservative group at Guildford Borough Council, was exposed by constituents living in green belt areas who began looking into her background after raising a number of complaints and claims over her work identifying areas of land for development.

Juneja, of Doverfield Road, Guildford, has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to three counts of forgery dating back to 2000, obtaining pecuniary advantage by deception, and a charge of “wilfully pretending to be a barrister” between January 2010 and May 2014.

Prosecutor Kate Wilkinson told the court how the defendant had been dishonest over a period of 14 years by forging her qualifications and pretending to be a barrister.

In 1997, she began a degree in sociology and law at Greenwich University, switching midway to just sociology, for which she received a third class degree.

She then set her sights on a bar course but needed at least a second class degree so she forged a letter from the university to get a place at BPP Law School.

After beginning the course in September 2001, Juneja failed three attempts at course modules and was declared not competent in law in July 2003.

She went on to forge at least one document from BPP Law School, stating that she received a final assessment of very competent in law which, the prosecutor said, was “very far from the truth”.

Defending, Howard Godfrey QC said his client had been the victim of a “witch hunt”.

He said: “She has by her guilty plea evidenced her remorse and regret.”

He said his client was the daughter of Indian immigrants who “expected great things” from her, ensuring she had the best education they could manage.

When she left university with a third class degree she was “embarrassed” and “panicked” because her “ambitious” parents had hoped she would pursue a professional career.

He added: “The fact of the matter is that although not qualified as stated, she was very good at her job.”

Sentencing was adjourned for reports by Judge Gerald Gordon until June 16.