A devious shop assistant who tried to con a lottery syndicate out of a payout of almost £80,000 has been given a sentence of 12 months jail suspended for two years.

Judge David Griffith-Jones QC told Imran Pervais, 26, of Milton Road, Gravesend, his offence was "particularly mean-spirited".

The father-of-two and former debt collector was working in his father's shop Moores Convenience Store in Mackenzie Way, Gravesend, in May last year when he told one of the ticket holders it had only won £10.

In fact, the ticket had matched five numbers and the bonus ball and was worth £79,887.

The prosecution said the logical conclusion was that Pervais intended to claim the win for himself.

Pervais denied fraud by misrepresentation but was found guilty by a jury at Maidstone Crown Court in March.

The court heard today that he remains in denial about the offence.

As part of his sentence he must also carry out 200 hours unpaid work, be subject to a tagged curfew for four months, attend an education, training and employment programme and pay £1,000 court costs.