A 58-YEAR-OLD benefits cheat had at least eight jobs during a three year period when she claimed nearly £10,000 she wasn't entitled to.

Blackburn magistrates heard that when she was first interviewed grandmother Barbara Pinder only admitted working as a cleaner at Thwaites Brewery.

But she later "remembered" working at Woolworths as a contract cleaner. In a further interview more than five months later she admitted working for pub company J D Wetherspoons, a temp agency, a nursing and homecare agency, Rentokil, CFN Holdings plc and Lancashire Cleaning Services.

And the court heard the three times married grandma had used three different names in the course of her employment.

Pinder, of Robert Street, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to five charges of making false statements to obtain benefits.

The magistrates committed her to Preston Crown Court for sentence after ruling their powers of punishment were insufficient.

The chairman said the case was aggravated by the fact that Pinder had used three different names and that some of the jobs only came to light after she had been interviewed and had the chance to come clean.

Jemma Jones, prosecuting, said benefit investigators had initially been alerted by an anonymous tip off that Pinder was working at Thwaites and Woolworths using the assumed names of Haine and Devlin. Inquiries revealed that she was earning £65 a week from the brewery and £50 a week from the town centre store.

When she was interviewed Pinder admitted working 15 hours a week at Thwaites. She said she had only had one job but when she was pressed admitted working at Woolworths for 12 months. She claimed she had forgotten about that employment. Five months later the investigating officers received information that Pinder had been working at J D Wetherspoons and she was re-interviewed when the other jobs also came to light.

Elizabeth Parker, defending, said her client had no previous convictions and was very ashamed of what she had done.

She said Pinder's third husband had died 10 years ago and had left her heavily in debt. "She felt she had to work to pay off the debt," said Mrs Parker.

"Life hasn't been easy for her and she has done her best to pay her way.

"All she wants to do is work and support herself and pay back all that she owes."