A WOMAN defrauded banks and councils across Essex out of more than £14,000.

Lisa Jensen swindled Southend Council to get more benefit than she was entitled to, and lied to open bank accounts, writing cheques which bounced.

The 30-year-old, mother-of-two, has now been jailed for 16 months.

Jensen, of Domsey Chase, Feering, pleaded guilty to eight fraud offences, of making a false representation between June and October 2008, and to three offences brought in a private prosecution by Southend Council.

The council offences related to her failure to declare she was in receipt of income support, in March 2006 and June 2006.

She also failed to promptly notify a change in circumstances, between January 11, 2005, and December 7, 2007, when she was living in Honiton Road, Southend. She had been overpaid £5,827.

Jailing Jensen, Judge Rodger Hayward Smith QC told her: “You are a thoroughly dishonest woman.”

The court had been told she had opened bank accounts using false details, and had written cheques she knew would not be honoured, to the tune of £6,906.

The total sum for all offences, which had not been recovered, was £14,421.

Mitigating, Peter Barlex, said the money was for living expenses, to support her family.