A SERIAL fraudster who tried to empty a woman's bank accounts by claiming her identity has been spared jail.

Sarah Tumilty, 32, was already on bail for fraud offences when she attempted to dupe bank staff by claiming she was 62-year-old Doreen Moss, a friend of her mother's, in a bid to withdraw cash.

But staff at HSBC in Darlington became suspicious when they found out the age of the real Mrs Moss and also rang her husband to discover she had not been into the town that day.

Tumilty, of Brighton Road, Darlington, claimed she had lost her bank cards and did not have any ID or account details on her visit to the bank on August 24 this year.

She was able to provide Mrs Moss's postcode, house number and date of birth, said Shaun Dryden, prosecuting at Teesside Crown Court.

Nonetheless staff asked for further ID, which Tumilty could not provide, and she turned heels and left.

A day later, Tumilty walked into a branch of the Halifax, in Newton Aycliffe, again claiming to be Mrs Moss.

This time she said she wanted to close a joint account Mrs Moss had with her husband and withdraw a total of 5,300.

The bank refused the request, because it being a joint account two signatures were required.

Tumilty had been on bail for offences she committed in June when she falsely obtained a storecard from Argos under the name of an existing customer, Karen Matthews.

She used the card on three separate occasions at Argos in Aycliffe and Bishop Auckland, obtaining 1,499 worth of goods including mobile phones and jewellery.

She had convictions for countless other similar identity fraud offences, dating back to 1998.

Her barrister Ian West said: "This lady just cannot help herself despite having been given chances by the courts."

Tumilty, who had never been jailed before, but spent the last 25 days in custody, wept in court as the evidence was read out against her.

She admitted five offences of fraud by false representation and one of theft.

Judge Peter Fox suspended a six month jail sentence on her for two years and said she would be supervised during that period.

He said: "Because of your experience of what it is like to be in jail I can just draw back from an immediate prison sentence, but this will be the last time."