Sunderland nurse caught out as £47,000 benefit cheat after she shared on Facebook she got engaged

Stephanie Metcalfe, 29, was claiming handouts on the basis she was a single parent who lived with her two children.

But Newcastle Crown Court heard an investigation, which involved undercover surveillance and social media checks, revealed her long term partner, who worked at Nissan, lived with her and had become her fiance.

By then, she had been paid £46,938 in child tax credit, working tax credit and housing benefit, over a period of three years, which she was not entitled to.

Prosecutor Alec Burns told the court the authorities obtained proof Metcalfe had someone living there and added: "They surveilled their house, had people watching him going to work at 6am on his bike.

"They looked at her Facebook and knew they got engaged. He was the father of her children."

He added: "She was shown the evidence of utility bills, Facebook, a holiday, there had been a holiday for the two of them and the children."

The court heard Metcalfe, of Falkland Road, Ford Estate, Sunderland, initially protested her innocence and claimed her partner had no key to her home and did not have meals there.

She later pleaded guilty to three offences of benefit fraud.

Tom Morgan, defending, said: "What she instructs me is that there are periods of time when he was there and equally periods of time, often, when he would be gone.

"She has to accept she should have either banned him from the household or cancelled her claim and unfortunately she has done neither."

Mr Morgan said Metcalfe, who "dotes" on her children, has been "extremely anxious" about the court proceedings and has never been in any trouble before.

He added: "The concern she has is not concern for herself, all she is worried about is what will happen to her children if an immediate custodial sentence was imposed."

Judge Julie Clemitson sentenced Metcalfe to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with rehabilitation requirements and 60 hours unpaid work.

The judge told her: "In the end, you received approximately £47,000 you should not have received.”