Two men bought scratch cards from the British National Lottery Using details from a stolen debit card An attempt to claim the £4 million (about 30 million Brazilian Real) prize was then caught.
On April 22, 2019, John Watson, 34, and Mark Goodram, 38Travel from Bolton to London to beg – and buy the winning ticket in Clapham in the south of the British capital.
They were caught when claiming the prize, revealing that they did not have a bank account, despite using their debit card to purchase the charge card.
After admitting the fraud before the Crown Court (Higher Court of First Instance for Criminal Cases) in Bolton, the two were sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Feeling of injustice
Prosecutor Dennis Fitzpatrick said the couple – who have been paroled after previous convictions – had debit card details from a man they didn’t know.
She said the card number and the expiration date are on Goodram’s hand – and she used the data to make a £90 purchase at a convenience store (Londis) and £71 at a supermarket (Witrose), including five slush drinks.
The court was told that one scratch card had a £10 prize, which was claimed at the store, while another contained the top prize.
According to Fitzpatrick, Watson called the National Lottery to say his friend had won, and Goodram told the operator that he would share the prize with his friend.
However, I was informed that the payment will be made by bank transfer.
Mark Goodram explained that he does not have a bank account, [mas] She said the winning scratch card was purchased with a debit card from a bank account… which immediately aroused suspicion.”
The court was also told that Goodram and Watson spoke to the press when the award was not paid.
Judge Sarah Johnston said in sentencing the couple, who have several previous convictions, to deny their next client a “life-changing sum of money” before she had “the audacity to express their sense of injustice in newspapers and citizens.”
“You must have thought that all Christmas had arrived at once,” he said.
A woman walks through a lottery shop in the United Kingdom – Photo: Associated Press
“Even though you knew that you had obtained this prize money fraudulently, you tried to claim it.”
“I have no doubt that both of you will continue to commit crimes in dishonest ways in the future.”
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