A woman took three kittens during a burglary then tried to cover it up with fake Facebook messages, a court heard.

Kirsten Skipper, 23, fell out with the victim and got Dale Lennox, 26, and Marcus Greenard, 29, to help her break into the victim's home in Saddlebow Road, King's Lynn, and steal three kittens inside the property, Norwich Crown Court was told.

John Fairhead, prosecuting, said they used a ladder to carry out the burglary in the early hours and Skipper entered through a window and handed the kittens to the two men.

The court heard the kittens were not harmed or ill-treated during the burglary.

Mr Fairhead said Skipper was recognised from CCTV but when arrested she claimed she had permission from the victim to enter her home.

Mr Fairhead said Skipper set up a fake Facebook profile in which she pretended the victim sent a message admitting she had given her permission to remove the kittens.

"She fabricated these in order to give herself a defence of permission to enter the property and take the kittens."

Skipper of Charlock, King's Lynn, admitted burglary in July 2019, attempting to pervert the course of justice and criminal damage and was jailed six months suspended for 15 months.

Giles Fleming, for Skipper, confirmed the kittens had not been harmed and said there was a long delay in the case coming to court.

Sentencing Skipper, Judge Anthony Bate said that her false Facebook messages were quickly exposed as bogus.

He accepted there was some issue about the ownership of the kittens and said: "The kittens were not ill-treated during this incident nor have they come to any harm since."

He also gave Lennox, of no fixed address, nine months jail, suspended for 12 months, for his part in the burglary and Greenard, formerly of Wisbech, was jailed six months suspended for 12 months for his role.

Hugh Vass for Lennox, said the offence was now two years ago and he only took part to help "liberate" the kittens.

Jason Stevens for Greenard, said: "He did not take any other items other than the kittens. His sole motive was to liberate them from the house."