A benefits cheat who also worked as a self-employed debt collector has avoided jail after wrongly claiming more than £50,000 in benefits.

Kellie Cox, of Nightingale Road, pleaded guilty to failing to declare income she had earned working as a self-employed debt collector since 2009 at Watford Magistrates Court on Tuesday, September 8.

Cox has been ordered to pay back £52,000 and at a sentencing hearing on Monday, October 5, she avoided jail because of her personal and family circumstances.

Cox has been given a six-month prison sentence which will be suspended for 18 months.

The Rickmansworth woman has also been ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work, 20 days of activity learning and take on a 12 month supervision order.

She wrongly claimed £52,000 in overpaid housing benefit, council tax benefit, income support and employment support allowance between 2009 and 2015.