pbr A former golf club captain who swindled thousands of pounds in benefits has avoided prison after being given a suspended jail sentence.br ppbr Valerie Lewis, 55, from Runcorn, Cheshire, claimed she suffered back pain which made it "virtually impossible" for her to walk unaided outdoors.br ppbr But surveillance footage taken by fraud investigators captured Lewis at her golf club - teeing off, playing the fairways and pulling her golf bag without any apparent difficulty.br ppbr She was sentenced to 24 weeks in jail, suspended for two years, at Warrington Crown Court after pleading guilty to dishonestly claiming benefit totalling £40,842.br ppbr Charlotte Atherton, for the prosecution, said Lewis made her initial claim for Disability Living Allowance in March 2001.br ppbr On the application form, the defendant said back pain made it difficult for her to walk, dress and wash herself or prepare food without "severe discomfort".br ppbr Lewis also claimed she needed help getting into and out of bed, the barrister said.br ppbr The mother-of-two then saw a doctor for assessment and claimed she was unable to walk more than 140 yards without having to go to bed for the rest of the day.br ppbr Golf club records and Lewis's own diaries, which were seized by benefit fraud investigators, showed she even played a round of golf the day after her doctor's assessment, Miss Atherton said.