A BENEFIT fraudster “invented” a fake child and claimed nearly £50,000 for childcare costs — even though she did not have a job, a court was told.

Michaela Bartlett’s two young children were not even living with her, as they had been taken into care, and she made up a pretend child to swindle more money from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Bolton Crown Court heard yesterday that the drug addict from Tonge Moor told HMRC she was working 30 hours a week and she was receiving £165 in tax credits a week for childcare costs. The claim started in May, 2008, and the children were taken off her in September that year.

Yet she kept up the pretence and, in June, 2010, she contacted the HMRC helpline and said she had had a baby the month before.

Barbara Webster, prosecuting, said the child, named Mark, was fictitious.

The total overpayment was £49,734 and she pleaded guilty to four counts of fraud at Bolton Crown Court at an earlier hearing.

The court was told she had previous convictions for benefit fraud and she was sentenced for some of those offences while continuing to fraudulently claim from HMRC.

The fraud ended in October, 2010, when Bartlett was arrested on suspicion of tax credits fraud.

Chris Dawson, defending, said: “She has suffered an extremely troubled and chaotic adult life. She has been plagued by serious drug addiction. Her record does her no favours at all.”

He added that she is taking methadone and has halved her intake since she got help from the community drugs team last August.

She was now working full time selling franking machines to businesses.

Bartlett, aged 33, of Tonge Moor Road, was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and was ordered to do 120 hours unpaid work and go on the New Direction activity requirement.

Recorder John Bromley- Davenport, QC, said: “You pleaded guilty to fraudulent activity, of which the public purse was deprived of over £49,000."