By Mark Donaghy

THREE benefit cheat mums appeared in court this week after fleecing the system out of more than £17,000.

The single parents all pleaded guilty when they appeared in front of magistrates at Leigh and will now have to pay back the full amounts to the Department of Social Security.

Christine Scarpa, Catherine Sheard and Carol Cornwall admitted they had continued to claim benefits even when their circumstances changed.

Scarpa, 45, of Church Lane, Lowton, a mother-of-three, had failed to tell the DSS she was married - a fact which would have stopped her receiving benefits of more than £10,250.

But Mr Nick Lloyd, defending, told the court the defendant had been living in denial that the marriage in September 1998 ever happened, because it had not lasted beyond the honeymoon.

Mr Lloyd added: "This is perhaps a slightly unusual case of its kind. The marriage came to an abrupt halt during the course of the honeymoon. He dropped her off at the property and they haven't seen each other since.

"It is acknowledged by her the marriage was hasty and she wanted to block it out of her memory. It was a case of burying one's head in the sand."

The bench heard that the woman had not received any financial help from her husband and the income support and housing benefit had been her only source of income. Mr Lloyd said she had given an early guilty plea and had been deeply affected by the proceedings.

She was ordered to carry out 200 hours community service and pay £70 costs.

Catherine Sheard claimed more than £6,600 in income support from September 1998 to November 1999, but failed to tell the DSS she was working, earning £60 a week.

Mr Gary Shepherd, prosecuting, told the court she was entitled to claim some benefits and it was calculated the overpayment was under £3,000.

The magistrates heard how Sheard, a 31-year-old single mother with no previous convictions, had had to deal with the break-up of her marriage. She also entered an early guilty plea.

She was given a 12 months conditional discharge and ordered to pay £70 costs. The court made an order banning the Press giving her address.

On Wednesday, the court also heard how Carol Cornwall, of Westleigh Lane, claimed nearly £5,000 in income support and child benefit, even though her daughter Rachel had left full-time educational and was earning up to £204 a week.

In defence, the magistrates were told the 37-year-old mother-of-two had had serious family problems.

The bench will decide her punishment after reading a pre-sentence report. She was given unconditional bail until September 20.