A woman who claimed she had a child when she didn't and then tried to get child support for it was given a suspended sentence this week.

Deborah Ann Showers was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence on Tuesday after she pleaded guilty in Supreme Court to a series of perjury charges in connection with making false child support claims.

The offences for perjury relate to an occasion where she made a false statement on oath last June 22, 1994.

She said at that time she had given birth to three children and only one had survived.

Showers then made false statements asking for periodic child support payments and falsely said she had given birth to a boy on August 1, who now lived abroad.

In court she admitted to making a false entry in the Register of Births last June 2, 1994.

And she admitted she attempted to obtain property (periodic support payments) by false pretences on or about last June 20 by pretending that Barry Showers was the father of the child.

Showers received an 18-month suspended sentence on the three perjury charges and 12 months suspended on the counts of making a false document and attempting to obtain a benefit by false pretences.