Winning Lottery Numbers in the co-op

Finder’s keepers, loser’s weepers? – That’s not the case for 34 year old Amanda Stacey and husband Michael (43) from Swindon, mills. The couple recently face an 11 month suspended jail sentence for cashing in a winning lottery ticket found in their local co-operative store.

Amanda Stacey spotted the lottery ticket on the floor of her local co-op store; she then claims that when she found the ticket, she informed the co-op staff, who had told her to keep it.

That night she went home to find that the ticket she had found earlier in store was in fact a winner of that night’s draw. The ticket was now worth a whopping £30,000. Amanda cashed the ticket in at the local post office and in one month managed to spend half of the £30,000 which was spent on paying of debts and carpets for the house.

However the real owner of the ticket, Dorothy McDonough 61, had watched the show and when she heard the news went to find her ticket. Unable to find the ticket she informed Camelot (lotto operator) and proved that the winning lottery ticket was in fact hers. Local police, were then called in, and with the help of Camelot were able to track the ticket to the Stacey’s household. Were they were then charged with fraud and theft.

In court the couple admitted the charges and received suspended jail sentences’ after acted out of “dire financial need rather than greed”.

Dorothy now has to wait a couple of months for a court hearing to find out if she can claim the remaining £15,000 winnings. But as Camelot refuse to pay out she must launch a civil action against the Stacey’s. So is finder’s keeper’s, loser’s weepers’ really the case?