Chelsea football boss Jose Mourinho's name was used in one of Britain's biggest benefit cheque frauds.

Swindlers used Mr Mourinho's name to cash some of their stolen cheques, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.

Seven fraudsters who admitted a variety of charges in connection with the case.

But Judge Roger Chapple told them: "As is so often the way, those at the very top of these conspiracies; those who are responsible for all the control and organisation, are not in the dock."

The court heard how Post Office worker Achille Louth, 40, from Lambeth, used his position to steal benefit cheques from the Walworth sorting office in south east London, where he worked, and hand them on to accomplices.

A razor blade was used to scratch out the name of the real beneficiary and the amount of money.

The fraudsters then doctored the payment details to match other stolen identity documents, before claiming the money at post offices in Wales, Yorkshire, Hertfordshire and Staffordshire.

Kevin Dent, prosecuting, said more than 500 cheques, destined for people who were unemployed, sick or poor, were stolen by the gang, who hoped to net more than £1m.

Cheques worth £2,000 and bearing the name JM Mourinho were cashed in Thamesmead, Isleworth and Twickenham, the court was told.

Judge Chapple described the fraud as "a large scale, professional and well planned conspiracy."

Afterwards fraud investigator Lesley Brookman, from the Department of Work and Pensions, estimated the number of stolen cheques involved at more than 1,000 and added: "This is possibly the biggest case of its kind."

Lauren Erskine, 19, from Cook Square, Erith, was sentenced to 75 hours community punishment, as was Farooq Mushtaq, aged 30, from West Yorkshire, who admitted 16 charges of handling stolen cheques.

All the rest admitted conspiracy to defraud.

Louthe was jailed for 18 months and two others, Kazadi Kayembe, 44, from Herne Hill, and Shaun Pugh, 39, from Walthamstow, were each jailed for 12 months.

Leigh Armour, 51, of Gypsy Hill, got a six-month jail sentence suspended for nine months and Tracey Flanagan, 23, from Harlesden, was given a two-year supervision order in addition to a 75-hour community punishment.