A young mother invented a new identity for herself after she was repeatedly caught shoplifting to feed her heroin addiction, a court was told yesterday.

Kerry Parfitt, 24, spent two periods in police cells posing as Kerry Reeder, knowing that her criminal record would not keep her locked up.

But when Kelly Reeder failed to turn up for her own court dates the police tracked down Parfitt and the game was up, said prosecutor Michael Wilson.

Parfitt told them she had numerous offences in her own name and she feared being remanded in custody.

She had been clean of drugs since last October, Judge Peter Armstrong was told at Teesside Crown Court.

Parfitt, of Warwick Street, South Bank, Middlesbrough, was given a two-year community rehabilitation order with a condition that she attends a Think First programme after she pleaded guilty to two charges of perverting justice and three charges of stealing clothing worth a total of £460 from Marks and Spencer and Wilkinson's in February last year.