A SHERIFF said a first time offender's actions were 'serious enough to consider imprisonment' after she defrauded the Government out of £6,000 in child tax credit.

Charlene Emmerson, 32, of Broad Street, Cowdenbeath, previously admitted between July 1, 2014 and August 3, 2015, at Benarty Avenue, Lochgelly, and elsewhere, she was knowingly concerned in fraudulent activity undertaken with a view to obtaining payments of a tax credit namely Child Tax Credit by you in that you failed to declare that your children were taken into local authority care on July 1, 2014 and you did thereby obtain Child Tax Credits of £6,000 to which you were not entitled.

Defence solicitor, Jennifer Simpson, said her client was suffering from mental health problems at the time of the offence but was now in a new relationship and full-time employment with Amazon.

Sheriff Chris Shead said: "I appreciate you will have been anxious awaiting the outcome of your sentence because this is serious enough to consider imprisoning you."

Emmerson was ordered to perform 120 hours of unpaid work as alternative to a custodial sentence.