A "GREEDY" mother-of-seven who today was starting a jail term after living an "opulent" life style on state handouts and the profits of crimes has become a figure of hate, it was revealed today.

Jobless Janis Gabriel, 49, who had almost £20,000, made from dishonesty, stashed away at her "Aladdin's Cave" Padiham home has been abused and labelled a scrounger.

Posters have been put up around Padiham since her conviction, the first of its kind in this area under recent money laundering legislation, a court heard.

And as she was sent to prison for six months her solicitor revealed that she had been advised to change her name and leave the area. Gabriel, who together with her disabled husband John and three teenage sons, claimed around £2,500 a month in an array of benefits, still protests her innocence and insists the cash was savings and bingo winnings.

The rest of the family are now living at the expense of the public at another, out of town "budget" hotel, after they were said to have been driven out of the Travelodge in Burnley because of so-called "negative attention."

Sentencing, Recorder Alan Conrad, QC, told the defendant, whose husband is said to be threatening suicide if she was not returned to him, said she had played an important role in the finances of her household, claimed the benefits money and opened and ran a number of bank and credit card accounts.

The judge, who described Gabriel as "intelligent and resourceful," said the cash was the proceeds of dishonesty rather than drug dealing.

Recorder Conrad went on: "Your family, with all their difficulties, were in receipt of substantial income from the state in benefits, which averaged £500 a week and lived rent free and free of council tax.

"That represents an income of which many honest, hard-working people with families might well be envious."

The judge added despite the defendant's "opulent" lifestyle and the luxury fixtures and fittings of her former home, she had become greedy and became involved in possessing the proceeds of crime.

Gabriel, then of Garden Street, had been convicted by a jury of two charges of possessing criminal property. She will face a confiscation hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act next February.

Paul O'Brien, prosecuting, told the court none of the defendant's family of five worked and they were said to rely on state benefits.

On July 3 last year, police raided her home and were "somewhat surprised","to find her semi detached housing association property had a lot of expensive fittings, appliances and electrical equipment.

In the house were a 4- inch plasma screen television, costly leather furniture, the latest electrical equipment, an elaborate mahogany fireplace, numerous mobile phones, a video recorder, DVD players, a still boxed entertainment speaker system and boxes of DVDs.

Stereo equipment was in almost every room and there were also boxes of electrical goods still in their wrapping.

The prosecutor said the house also boasted a well-equipped kitchen, a conservatory with a swimming pool and sauna and a modern bathroom with a corner jacuzzi bath.

Outside the property was a 360 degree CCTV camera, on top of a pole erected by the Gabriels, and which was linked to a full monitoring system in the living room.

In the principal bedroom was a four poster water bed and police discovered £11,700 cash - £10,000 of it in £20 notes, under the mattress.

Mr O' Brien said Gabriel claimed the money was savings from benefits and bingo winnings. A further search of her home revealed £6, 070, which had been accumulated in 10 weeks.

Gabriel was interviewed, refused to answer questions but when questioned again in November claimed the cash was legitimate and was from savings, bingo and gaming machine wins.

Hilary Manley, defending, said Gabriel was her husband's full-time carer and still had two children under 16 who appeared to be difficult to look after.

The defendant had been punished already. She had lost the money which was seized, and was homeless. Her family had had to move on from the Travel Lodge in Burnley and were in another "budget" hotel in the area.

Posters had been put up all around Padiham and Gabriel had been abused and publicly branded. There had been "moral outrage" in the Press, she had been labelled a scrounger and had to suffer the public humiliation of that.

Miss Manley said Gabriel's husband needed almost round the clock attention, was a difficult man to live with and would not accept help from anybody else. He was threatening suicide if she left him or did not return.

Mr Gabriel held the purse strings in the family and was a strong character who wanted explanations if the defendant was late home.

The barrister continued: "This defendant is convinced he won't manage without her. Her three teenage sons appear to have behavioural problems. They were attending school, although there were problems with attendance, but because of the court case they have had some abuse from fellow pupils and have not attended since the conviction.

"She feels only she can handle them and she is very very concerned if she goes to custody today that nobody will take care of her husband. They certainly won't. There is some animosity between them."

Miss Manley added: "The defendant has been advised she should change her name and leave the area but she doesn't feel she can. All her family are here."

Speaking after the case, PC Gia Rowland, of Lancashire Constabulary's Financial Investigation Unit, said: "Mrs Gabriel's conviction is the first of its kind in Lancashire under the new Proceeds of Crime Act and the Force is recognised as a leader in this field.

"The prosecution followed a lot of hard work and, obviously, we are extremely pleased with the outcome which sends out the strongest possible message to people having a lifestyle funded by any form of criminal activity."