A fraudster has been jailed for more than three years after scamming pensioners to fund his gambling habit.

Max Evans, from Tydeman Road in Bearsted, used almost £160,000 of his elderly victims’ money given to him across three separate scams.

In 2015, Evans persuaded a pensioner he knew to give him access to their money, claiming he would move it to a savings account to accrue interest.

He received nearly £79,000 from the victim over a period of five years but used it entirely for the purpose of gambling.

The 30-year-old used the same scam on an elderly relative between 2017 and 2021 to receive £35,000 which he also lost on making losing bets with bookmakers.

Kent Police was contacted when the first victim started to have difficulty paying their bills and it was suspected Evans had been acting dishonestly.

Investigators examined his financial and phone records and identified a third victim who had transferred a large amount of money to him as a loan after he told them he had rent arrears and was at risk of becoming homeless.

This money was lost on gambling as soon as he received it in his account.

Evans was charged with three counts of fraud by false representation and money laundering.

He pleaded guilty, and on Wednesday, June 28, he was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years and four months’ imprisonment.

Detective Constable Katie Gregory, of West Kent CID, said: “Evans told lies to his victims to gain access to their money and then frittered the entire amount to pay for his gambling habit.

“The victims could not afford to lose these funds and the relative who lost their cash sadly died before the case came to court.

“Evans’ actions can only be described as despicable, and he should seek help with his addiction while serving his prison sentence.”