A nightclub manager who faked a £15,000 armed robbery claimed she and her children were threatened with violence.

Sarah Jane Porritt said she was locked in a cupboard during a raid at The Deck nightspot in Redcar.

But detectives discovered that Porritt, 28, was heavily in debt and faced losing her home, said Shaun Dodds, prosecuting.

Teesside Crown Court heard how she later changed her account completely, saying that she had been threatened by a man and that he forced her to carry out the theft.

Porritt had a four-month-old baby at the time and she was suffering from post-natal depression, said Jeffrey Hunter, defending.

Porritt, of Dale Street, New Marske, was given a one yearjail sentence, which was suspended for two years after she pleaded guilty to theft of £15,095 on January 27, last year.

The judge made no orders against her for compensation or costs.