Middlesbrough lottery winner gambling gang jailed

Aaron Harvey (left) and Lee Khan have both been jailed for three years

Two members of a gang that befriended and stole from a woman who won £1m on the National Lottery have been jailed.

Aaron Harvey, 26, and Lee Khan, 32, set up betting accounts the vulnerable woman's name and gambled £41,000 in 100 minutes, Teesside Crown Court heard.

One of the gang even pretended to be her boyfriend, allowing them to take £75,000 from her over one weekend.

The pair from Middlesbrough admitted conspiracy to steal and have both been jailed for three years.

Khan also admitted three counts of theft. Two other men will be sentenced at a later date.

'Vulnerability'

As well as setting up gambling accounts, the men paid off credit cards and bought shares with her money.

Detective Constable Rachel Graham said she believed the woman, who won the National Lottery in 2013, was "targeted because of her vulnerability".

"I would personally like to thank her for her patience and tenacity," she said.

"The defendants in this case were callous; they pretended to be her friends, one even took the role of the victim's boyfriend to get close enough to steal her bank card and personal identification number."

The victim was able to be refunded most of her stolen money after the account was blocked.