MAGISTRATES refused to a jail a con artist who swindles money out of elderly victims by telling them a sob story – after taking pity on her tales of woe.

Victoria Coughlin told the court she had lost her husband this summer – and was now struggling to pay his drugs debt.

Conning money out of her victims, the 40-year-old tells them her daughter has been involved in an accident and that she needs money to get a taxi to hospital.

Despite already having a suspended jail sentence hanging over her head, magistrates ruled it would be unjust to send her to prison because she had recently lost her husband.

The court also made no order that she should pay back any money to the kind-hearted people she swindled.

The con woman has been up at magistrates court no less than six times this year – and in March was given a criminal ASBO banning her from knocking on every door in Blackburn.

She has since breached that order 12 times and continues to pester would-be victims for cash.

Coughlin, of East Park Road, Blackburn, was jailed in May for 24 weeks but was released early and has continued to offend.

Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said: "The order prohibits her from approaching addresses or people in public and asking for money and soliciting money by any means."

She said during the latest offences Coughlin had knocked on doors and told the hospital story – as well as claiming she needed money to feed her children.

Miss Akhtar added: "Neither of those is true but on each occasion people handed over money to help.

"It was usually £10 or £15 which people handed over out of the goodness of their hearts."

Miss Akhtar said police were called to Coughlin's home address because of another incident and decided to arrest her for a breach of the peace.

She added: "They followed her into the kitchen where she took a knife and made a swiping motion with it.

"It was millimetres away from one of the officers and both felt threatened. They cleared the other people out of the house before using pepper spray on the defendant and arresting her."

Ian Huggan, defending, said Coughlin's husband had died in the summer and he had left behind drug debts.

He said: "She was struggling financially because of problems with those debts.

"She was being put under pressure for repayment of the debt by drug dealers."

Coughlin pleaded guilty to breaching the criminal behaviour on October 8, 9 and 11 and three times on October 17.

She also pleaded guilty to assaulting two police officers with intent to resist arrest during an incident when she brandished a knife.

Magistrates guidelines say they should activate a suspended sentence unless it would be unjust to do so.

Announcing their decision the chairman of the bench said they had taken into account that 'Coughlin had lost her husband, had mental health issues and had been under some duress'.