A single mother who cheated the benefits system out of thousands of pounds while partly living in Spain has dodged a jail sentence.

Georgia Parsons, 40, pocketed more than £17,000 in housing benefit and council tax benefit she was not entitled to over a two-year period from 2006.

She was claiming the benefits lawfully after moving into a flat in Brighton, East Sussex, in May 2005 with a rent of £650 a month.

But the following year she sub-let the flat to Polish tenants, charging them a £600 deposit and around £600-a-month in rent after telling them she owned it.

Prosecutor Roger Booth told Lewes Crown Court that she continued to claim the housing and council tax benefits while spending most her time living in Spain and in a caravan while in England.

Parsons also forged a letter from her own landlord, telling Brighton and Hove City Council her tenancy had been extended by 12 months so she could continue her scam.

Mr Booth said that when she was interviewed, Parsons initially claimed that the letter was from her landlord but later admitted she had forged it.

Parsons, who lives in Brighton, pleaded guilty last month to three charges of benefit fraud after the court heard her cheating amounted to £17,722.

Defence counsel Alissa Scott-Beckett said Parsons' actions were motivated by a desire to offer a better life for her daughter, now aged 11.

She said: "At the time of the offences, Ms Parsons felt isolated in the community around her and she recognises this stems from issues in her childhood.

"As a result she felt that the best thing for her was to leave the country with her daughter. Ms Parsons' sole purpose in all of this was to take care of her daughter.

"Ms Parsons went to Spain, thinking this would be a better environment for her daughter. The money was used to fund that lifestyle, it certainly wasn't an extravagant or luxurious lifestyle."

Ms Scott-Beckett said since her return to Britain, Parsons has sought to address her problems and is looking for part-time work.

Parsons broke down in tears as Judge Michael Lawson QC sentenced her to a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, to run concurrent on each count.

The judge told her: "You behaved and continued on a false and dishonest basis, claiming from the taxpayers of Brighton and Hove money to which you were not entitled.

"The amount you obtained was nearly £18,000 and I take the view that extended period of dishonesty and the forgery of the document was deliberate conduct.

"I understand your love of your child and in those circumstances the sentence will be suspended for two years." In addition, the judge ordered her to serve 100 hours of unpaid work.