A WOMAN at the centre of a "prolific dishonesty operation" in doctored benefit books has been jailed for six months.
Wendy Evans used a sharp knife and printing equipment to alter payment dates on the slips.
Preston Crown Court heard that after her arrest she went on to use stolen credit cards in a bid to pay off a drugs debt.
The 30-year-old mother-of-three of Blackburn Road, Darwen, pleaded guilty to offences of theft, obtaining property by deception, possession of amphetamine and asked for 31 other offences to be considered.
Mr Roger Hedgeland, prosecuting, said that for around five months Evans had been at the centre of a quite prolific dishonesty operation. This involved the forgery and fraudulent use of DSS books and later on stolen credit cards.
She changed the dates on DSS order slips, before mainly handing them on to others. Following her arrest she stole credit cards from a colleague, while an assistant at a video shop.
The prosecution said the DSS offences involved the sum of £1,343 and the credit cards another £734.
Mr Richard Hunt, defending, said Evans was always going to be caught.
"In 90 per cent of the cases it concerned people who owned benefit books. They wanted the money before they were entitled to it and she was the person to do it.
"The credit cards were used over 36 hours. Her drugs creditor had come round and told her to do it. She was desperately trying very hard to sort her life out," he said.
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