A mother who left her three young children with a schoolgirl babysitter while she enjoyed a two-week holiday in Turkey was today given a suspended prison sentence.

Kelly Ann Rogerson, 24. also known as Piggford, flew out for a holiday with friends in June this year and was arrested on her return to England.

Rogerson, of County Durham, left her two young daughters and her young son with a teenage girl in a one-bedroomed flat when she flew out to the Turkish resort of Marmaris.

She was arrested on her return to England and later admitted three charges of child neglect.

Today, she appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court, in County Durham, where she was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

Chris Bunting, defending, told magistrates that she had been 'villified' in the media over the incident but in reality she was a caring mother who believed her children were being looked after.

He stressed that the local authority and social services were not involved and no care proceedings would to be commenced against Ms Rogerson.

He said: ''This young woman has been villified for what she has done.

''She has brought up three lovely, healthy children in a clean and safe home environment. Social Services are quite happy with the situation and are quite happy that her children remain at home with their mum.

''She did not leave them in a house with a £20 note as has been reported but she asked a friend who has babysat before if she would look after them.

''There is no law that says how old a babysitter has to be.

''There's clearly a grey area here because when does leaving children with a babysitter become neglect?

''It was the adequacy of the arrangements that let her down and makes her guilty of neglect.

''The vast majority of these cases brought to court would involve a parallel set of proceedings but the local authority but that is not the case here.

''In spite of everything that has been said about this the local authority has decided there's no need to do anything about it.''

Magistrates bench chairman, Harry Fletcher, told Rogerson: ''The welfare of any child is, and should be, of paramount importance.

''To leave three young children in the car of a young babysitter for two weeks was irresponsible in the extreme.

''The only reason for not imposing an immediate sentence is for the welfare of your three children.

''To remove you from them would only cause them further hardship and distress.''

Rogerson hugged her mother, who had been sitting at the back of the courtroom, when she was told she could leave the court.

She did not speak after leaving the building and tried to dodge waiting photographers before hurrying away from the court.

An order was imposed at a previous hearing, when Rogerson, pleaded guilty, restricting the publication of any details of her children.