£4m PRIZE CHUMPS?
Burglars win scratchcard jackpot – but Lotto bosses won’t pay out over fears it was bought with stolen card
A £4MILLION scratchcard win by two convicted burglars is being investigated by Lottery bosses amid fears that it may have been paid for with a stolen debit card.
Jon-Ross Watson, 31, and Mark Goodram, 36, said they would blow the winnings on exotic cars and luxury holidays as they partied for four days following the win.
But Lottery operator Camelot is reportedly refusing to pay out because there are doubts about how the unemployed pair paid for the £10 scratchcard at a Waitrose in Clapham, South London.
The men have a string of convictions which include those involving stolen bank cards. Nevertheless, they say they deserve the huge win.
Checks by Camelot found the scratchcard was bought using a debit card, which is only issued alongside a bank account.
However, neither Watson nor Goodram have one. Instead, they claimed the card used for the purchase belonged to a mystery friend called John, but said they did not know his surname, phone number or address. Despite the winnings being on hold, the two childhood friends from Bolton have spent several days since their win on Easter Monday downing cocktails and champagne. It was not clear how they are paying for this.
Watson, who has repeatedly appeared on Greater Manchester Police’s Most Wanted list for the Bolton area, told The Sun: ‘I’m off on a Caribbean cruise, then to Las Vegas. But I need a passport first.
‘Mark and me have been mates since we were little. This win’s unbelievable but we deserve the
‘Stole a hospice charity box’
money fair and square. We were screaming in the street.’
Watson added: ‘ We’ve told family and friends about our win but no one believes us.’
Watson has previously been jailed after booking three nights in a hotel using someone else’s debit card.
He pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation at Blackburn magistrates’ court in July last year and was sentenced to 16 weeks in jail after breaching a suspended sentence for a hotel burglary.
Goodram, who has 22 convictions for 45 criminal offences, posted photos of himself grinning with wads of £50 notes splayed out in his hands on social media.
Having only recently been released from prison on police licence, he said: ‘This is brilliant. I deserved a bit of a break. We’re made for life.
‘I can’t wait to spend the lot. I’m going to buy luxury properties and look after myself.’
Last year, the former crack cocaine addict was caught with stolen bank cards after being on the run for a fortnight following a burglary.
He was sentenced to eight months in prison after stealing more than £8,000, a hospice charity box, and ‘irreplaceable’ mementos from a garage.
Goodram was sentenced to a further three months for burgling an Aldi, handling stolen goods, possession of a BB gun and absconding from court.
Camelot is reportedly confident that the £4million scratchcard is genuine – meaning the pair beat odds of 4,019,579 to one to win – but want to make sure the debit card that paid for it was not stolen.
When the pair contacted The Sun to boast of their win, they reportedly said they had paid for the scratchcard with the last of their loose change.
But they are then alleged to have changed their story, suggesting they gave £10 to a friend to buy it on his debit card and that he had disappeared ‘up North’.
Camelot said: ‘We are unable to confirm or deny any winner rumours. We are only able to disclose details of the claim of a winning ticket if, following the validation process, the ticketholder opts for publicity.’