A BENEFITS cheat who conned more than £45,000 in handouts has been spared a prison sentence because she has three children, the youngest of whom suffers from ill health after being born several weeks prematurely.

But Lisa Tribbeck will be spending the rest of her life repaying the cash.

Tribbeck, of Severn Road, Millbrook, Southampton, admitted two charges of failing to notify the Department of Works and Pensions of a change of circumstance and was ordered to do 180 hours community work.

She admitted she had failed to declare that her boyfriend, Andrew Taylor, had been living with her from January 1999 until December 2000, when he left, but he moved back in three years later. At all times, she said she had been living as a single parent.

Overpaid As a result, said prosecutor Gary Lucie, she had been overpaid by almost £30,000 in income support, nearly £14,000 in housing benefit and more than £2,000 in council tax benefit.

Passing sentence, Judge Jeremy Burford QC said guidance from the Court of Appeal indicated that amounts of that sort almost inevitably resulted in a prison sentence. But there were cases when that guidance should not be followed and this was such a case because of her "duties" to her three children, the youngest of whom suffered from poor health, and the references which he had read.

But he warned Tribbeck that if she breached the order, a custodial sentence would be "a real possibility".

The court heard the authorities were clawing the money back at £11.20 a week and she had already repaid £1,100.

Lifelong debt The judge remarked: "I imagine you will be repaying the rest for most of your life."

Tribbeck was said to be of previous good character.

The court did not hear any mitigation on Tribbeck's behalf and there was no evidence given of how she had spent the money.

As reported in the Daily Echo in 1999, Tribbeck's son Callum - the youngest of her three children - was finally allowed home from hospital after winning a titanic six-month battle for life.

He had been born at the Princess Anne Hospital, Southampton, 15 weeks premature and weighing just 1lb 14oz. His condition was so poor that doctors and nurses feared he would die.

His tiny lungs were underdeveloped, he suffered serious bowel problems, bleeding on the brain and kidney failure.

One night Ms Tribbeck and Mr Taylor had him baptised because they feared he had only hours to live.

He underwent three operations on his bowel and all the toes on one foot were amputated.

For two months he survived on a ventilator but he proved to be a miracle baby and against all odds, he pulled through.