A HEAVILY-pregnant woman from Burnley has been warned she may face jail after confessing to a £27,000 fraud inv-olving five major high street names.

Shahanara Begum, 24, claimed she was in work so she could receive a £25,000 loan from the NatWest Bank, Burnley Crown Court heard.

Begum, of March Street, used a similar con to secure credit of £3,500 from the finance house Egg and stole nearly £900 worth of goods from Next.

She also falsely set up a current account with a £1,000 overdraft facility, as part of the same fraud, with Lloyds TSB.

Nicholas Courtney, prosecuting, said that the total unrecovered sum from Begum, who had no previous convictions, stood at just over £27,000.

No repayments had ever been made on the NatWest loan and the Lloyds TSB overdraft had been fully used.

Around £898 was still outstanding in respect of goods from Next.

The court heard that Begum’s family home could be in jeopardy if an application was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Begum denied three further offences of fraud, two offences relating to MBNA credit facilities and another amounting to £150 from Provident Personal Credit.

Mr Courtney said the prosecution would not be proceeding on these three matters, after Begum pleaded guilty to three offences of fraud and one theft, in relation to the other set of offences.

Paul Bryning, defending, said his client was heavily pregnant and due to give birth on July 1, and he hoped she could be sentenced before then.

Judge Simon Newell, releasing Begum on bail until June 18, said: “You have to be aware, all sentencing options are left open, including custody.”