A PEMBROKE Dock woman who pretended to be her half-sister to get jobs and a driving licence - and then avoid £1,600 in parking fines - has been jailed today, November 27.

Pauline Fay House, aged 45, was described by Judge Paul Thomas as being "dishonest and cruelly devious”.

Swansea crown court heard how her sister Paula was shocked to find bailiffs at her front door demanding payment for fines she knew nothing about and threatening to take away her personal belongings.

House, now of Tylcha Ganol, Tonyrefail, admitted two offences of fraud, two of making false statements and one of perverting justice.

Paul Hobson, prosecuting, said House had 33 previous convictions, mostly for dishonesty, and took over her sister's identity to hide her past.

She managed to get a job at McDonalds and then with a care firm, using her sister's name.

House also successfully applied for a ‘replacement’ driving licence and chalked up a £600 fine for driving with defective tyres, convictions that went against the name of her sister.

House also ran up £1,600 worth of parking fines, again in her sister's name.

Mr Hobson said the offending began to unravel when Pauline House was prosecuted in her sister's name for allowing her son to drive without a licence.

She attended Haverfordwest magistrates' court as Paula House on the very same day bailiffs were outside her sister's home demanding payment.

It was only then, said Mr Hobson, that Paula House became aware of what her sister had been doing.

Stephen Rees, representing House, said she was immature and of low intelligence.

Judge Paul Thomas told House that by pretending to be her sister she had obtained jobs she had not been qualified for, driven as if she had a full licence despite never having past a test and then avoided the punishments.

And she had actually attended court still pretending to be Paula House.

House was jailed for 12 months.