Bristol student Felista Peters was just days away from graduating when she was arrested for being in the UK on false pretences, a court heard.

Kenyan-born Peters had used a fake birth certificate and passport to forge herself a lifestyle based on lies, which culminated in the NHS funding her to the tune of £34,800 for a three-year radiology course at the University of the West of England in Bristol.

Peters, 28, who was living in Vassall Road, Fishponds, pleaded guilty to possessing false identity documents with intent; obtaining a money transfer by deception; obtaining services by deception and two charges of using a false instrument with intent.

Jailing her for 19 months, Judge Mark Horton told her: "For the last seven years the life you led in this country was nothing short of a complete lie.

"Offences of this kind are always regarded by this court as serious and they must have with them some deterrent to dissuade others."

Bristol Crown Court was told Peters will be deported on completion of her jail term.

Lynne Matthews, prosecuting, said that in July 2002 Peters applied for a passport using her real name and date of birth, saying she was born in Lambeth, London.

The court heard a London-based accountant confirmed in the application he had known her for four years as a colleague; he is now on bail having talked to police.

Mrs Matthews told the court that, having been issued with a passport in August 2002, Peters obtained a provisional driving licence and was issued with a full driving licence on passing her driving test in September, 2004.

By this time Peters had already gone to the Department of Work and Pensions and obtained a National Insurance number, claiming to be a British citizen.

Mrs Matthews said that from September 2005 Peters got on a BSC radiology course at UWE, funded by the NHS for £26,020 and which also involved a NHS-funded bursary to meet her living expenses for £8,813.80.

When arrested Peters said she had been living in Kenya until 2002, before moving to the UK where she thought her aunt and brother had been responsible for her passport application.

The court heard Peters' brother entered the UK in 1996 as a visitor and has been deported.

Timothy Rose, defending, said: "She was a naive, humble, religious lady living in extremely poor circumstances who was offered a way out. That is the temptation to which she succumbed for seven years.

"She completed her degree. She was not entitled to practise as a radiographer but she is entitled to a degree she successfully obtained. There is no option but for her to be deported straight back to the country from where she came with a degree she may possibly be able to use for her benefit or her community in Kenya."

Mr Rose said it was his client's wish not to exploit the system but make a positive contribution. He conceded that her actions blocked a legitimate student from the degree course.

Zaira Munsif, of the UK Border Agency's immigration crime team, said: "These were serious offences going back several years and show the lengths to which offenders will go to construct new identities and access services in this country.

"We now have teams of specialist officers working to investigate exactly this kind of immigration crime and this is another example of their success. The UK Border Agency is working shoulder to shoulder with other agencies such as the police and NHS to crack down on people using false documents and this case shows how seriously we, and the courts, take this sort of offence."

Debbie Lloyd, operational fraud manager South West for the NHS counter fraud service, said: "We will follow up on all reports of suspected fraud, investigate thoroughly and where appropriate, seek prosecution.

"The NHS counter fraud service is here to ensure that the NHS is protected from deceptions like this."