Tragedy of £9m Shropshire Lottery man

The former husband of a Shropshire lottery winner who lost most of his money when he was fleeced by a convicted conman has died - just five years after scooping the £9 million jackpot.

Keith Gough, 58, who had been living with his nephew at Cherrybrook Drive, Broseley, died at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital on Saturday after a long illness.

Mr Gough and his ex-wife Louise won the jackpot on the National Lottery in 2005.

Following their win the once-happy couple, who have a teenage son, sold their semi-detached home in Victoria Road, Bridgnorth, and purchased a large property in nearby Westgate.

Football-mad Mr Gough, who worked at former Bridgnorth bakery Whitney's, gave up his job and invested in racehorses, brought a top-of-the-range BMW and leased an executive box at Villa Park, the home of his beloved Aston Villa.

But after receiving a share of the fortune, reported to be £1.5 million, Mr Gough started drinking heavily, leading to the break-up of his 25-year-marriage, and he checked in to the Priory rehabilitation clinic in Birmingham.

His problems escalated when he was targeted by fraudster James Prince, who befriended him and plied him with alcohol before getting him to sign over all his money. Prince stole more than £700,000 between August 2006 and July 2008 and was sentenced to three years and four months in jail.

The couple bought their winning ticket at Broseley News. Today shop owner Barbara Homer said she still remembered the day they bought the ticket.

She added: "It was a great boost for the area and everyone was really pleased. It's a thing you can only dream of and you never think it will happen locally."

Mrs Homer said she saw Mr Gough in Broseley before he went into hospital.

Close friends were today mourning his loss. Fellow drinkers at the Woodberry Down pub in Bridgnorth said Mr Gough was a "larger than life" character.

Shropshire councillor Les Winwood said he was shocked by the news. He said: "He was quite a character and he had a lot of friends who used the pub."

Former work colleague Graham Hall said: "It was a tragic end for a larger than life character."

Mr Gough's family did not want to speak. The funeral will be at Telford Crematorium on April 7 at 11.15am.