A FRAUDSTER who fleeced her aunt then conned a judge is finally behind bars - after her pregnancy lie was exposed.

Lisa Philips dodged prison in October last year when she told Teesside Crown Court that she was expecting a baby.

When the due date came and went, suspicious police paid her a visit - and discovered the story was another lie.

Probation workers also challenged Philips about the story, and she repeated maintained she had had a daughter.

She had even been carrying around a picture of someone else's baby and a photo of a newly-decorated nursery.

Today, Philips was locked up for five months after she admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Judge Peter Armstrong - who let her walk free last time - told her: "You avoided prison because of your bogus mitigation.

"It would be wholly unjust, not just to your aunt, but to the public, if that was to happen again."

In court last year, the student's lawyer Rebecca Stephenson said Philips was due to give birth just two months later.

The con-artist even left court clutching her stomach after being given a four-month suspended prison sentence.

Miss Stephenson said Philips was ashamed of what she had done, and had split up with the father of her unborn child.

"She has lost a great deal on a personal level, with family members and the breakdown of her relationship," she said.

The court heard a year ago how she stolen Tracy Sedgwick's inheritance to pay off her own debts and buy a £2,000 telly.

Philips, 37, of Eskdale Place, Newton Aycliffe, County, even created a fake bank statement to hide her dishonesty.

The money was transferred into an account that she had control of to seemingly keep it safe from her aunt's boyfriend.

Ms Sedgwick, 46, became suspicious when repeated requests to see statements were met with excuses by Philips.

It later emerged she had stolen to settle debts, buy an Xbox games console, clothes and a 70-inch flat screen telly.

She had holidays in Prague and Paris - and a trip to Germany with her aunt when she brazenly spent her money in front of her.

Ms Sedgwick told last night how Philips had caused "so much pain and heartache" despite her being treated like a sister.

The judge told her: "You conned your aunt and then you tried to con the police by producing a bogus bank statement.

"Those who put forward bogus mitigation do commit an offence that is so serious that only custody can be justified."

Her lawyer Ben Pegman had urged the judge to suspend the prison term because she has psychological problems and "thinking deficits".

But a detective in the case said the hair and beauty student had carried out carefully calculated crimes - twice.

Ms Sedgwick - who shopped her niece to police - had been left money along with her four sisters on the death of their parents.

Philips convinced Ms Sedgwick that her Turkish boyfriend of 11 years, Ahmet Oktar, 41, was scouring dating sites for sex and that he was trying to steal her inheritance from her.

The trusting aunt allowed Philips, who has a 16-year-old son from a previous relationship, to set up an account to keep the money in.

Ms Sedgwick said: "I loved Lisa and treated her like a sister, we were so close but all the time she was robbing me and I can't forgive that.

"She managed to convince me that Ahmet had turned against me, that he was on dating sites and told me that the best way to keep my money safe was to entrust it to her.

"She went on a spending spree and would buy holidays, household things and spend a fortune on clothes from the TV shopping channels.

"I once went on a holiday to a Christmas market in Germany and watched her spend and spend on all sorts of things while I was on a budget and my money ran out - I had no idea it was my money she was chucking around.

"Then she came to court and got a suspended sentence after she claimed she was seven months pregnant. Straight away, people in the family started smelling a rat.

"I was very close to her and she would confide in me that she and her partner, Chris, had been having problems conceiving. They wanted a baby but had been unable to have one so it seemed very convenient that she'd suddenly got pregnant just as she was facing prison.

"Members of the family contacted police and told them to keep a close eye on her because we suspected she was lying.

"She did her best to keep up the pretence and the police told us she showed her probation workers a picture of a baby and newly decorated nursery. We don't know where she got them from but it certainly wasn't her baby she was showing people.

"She has caused so much pain and heartache and the fact she lied to get out of going to jail just added insult to injury. I hope now that she has time to reflect on how selfish, cruel and manipulative she has been.

"After what she did, there was no way the family was going to let her get away with even more lies and we took action."

Mr Pegman told the court that Philips was "genuinely sorry, embarrassed and ashamed" by what she had done.

"What started as a lie of expediency spiralled into something extremely serious and she recognises she had opportunities throughout the proceedings to correct the original lie," said Mr Pegman.

"She cannot blame what she has done entirely on her psychological problems because she had the wherewithal to pull this back, and there is certainly an element of persistency in carrying it on."

Detective Constable Mick Trodden said after the case: "Both of these offences were so calculated. There's no other word for it.

"She robbed her vulnerable aunt of £15,000 and then she robbed her of any justice by purporting to be pregnant.

"Justice has now been done and Philips is likely to have Christmas in prison, away from her son, to reflect on that."