FOR more than six years, a mother cooked up tales, backed by tainted medical evidence, of her son's range of illnesses so that she could live off medical benefits amounting to $296,000.

The Exeter Crown Court heard how the 35-year-old woman told doctors her son had diabetes and backed up her claims by providing false urine samples spiked with glucose, reported the Daily Telegraph.

She claimed her son, now eight-years-old, had cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, the throat disorder dysphagia, and was allergic to all types of food.

The woman, who cannot be named as her child is a minor, began the abuse not long after the boy's birth so that she could claim disability allowance.

She kept up her "convincing" act by admitting him to hospital, where he was "unnecessarily medicalised" and even underwent surgery.

He was fitted in large clothes to make him look ill.

She told doctors, friends, family and even the boy's father that he was unable to eat or swallow food.

He was believed to be so ill that he was praised by a leading children's charity and even met Royalty, including the Duchess of Cornwall.

Her son was confined to a wheelchair in public and eventually hooked up to a drip.

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