A benefit fraudster has won her appeal against a prison sentence.

Sally Brivent-Barnes was jailed for three months by Colchester magistrates last week after she admitted making fake benefit claims totalling more than £8,000.

She spent a night in Holloway prison before her appeal and Chelmsford Crown Court heard she had found it a frightening experience.

Her appeal was upheld and the sentence was suspended for 12 months.

Judge Jonathan Haworth, sitting with two magistrates, said health problems suffered by Brivent-Barnes, 38, and the long delay in bringing the matter to court allowed the court to suspend the sentence because of "exceptional circumstances."

The appeal heard Brivent-Barnes, from Church Road, Frating, had admitted four charges of benefit fraud and had asked for another 73 matters to be taken into consideration.

Her counsel, Lyall Thompson, said Brivent-Barnes had serious health problems and had been harassed by two former boyfriends around the time of the offences.

He told the hearing Brivent-Barnes had been paying money back to the DSS.

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