A shopkeeper who lied to a pensioner about his winning lottery ticket so she could take the winnings has been jailed.
Narendra Gill, 52, told 81-year-old Frank Gowland he did not have a winning EuroMillions ticket after checking it at her shop in Leeds, despite the fact the retired delivery man had in fact won £130,000.
The pensioner was unaware he had a winning ticket until police had alerted him it had been stolen.
Ms Gill claimed she was gifted the ticket and said she had no idea where it was purchased from.
Camelot, who run the lottery, asked the police to check CCTV footage from the White Rose Shopping Centre which saw Mr Gowland and his wife Sue, 77, getting into their car.
Shop manager Gill admitted theft and fraud and was sent to prison for 28 months.
After the case, Mr Gowland said: “The whole thing has been quite a shock.
“I had no clue I’d won until I got this phone call. I couldn’t hear what the PC was saying so I asked my stepson to deal with it.
“He said to the officer, ‘You must be joking, this is a scam’. Anyway, it wasn’t and I had won.”
Mr Gowland added: “The police knew everything. They even knew we bought toilet roll on the day. They told me the woman phoned Camelot, 15 minutes after I left, claiming to have a winning ticket.
“But they smelt a rat. She was lying through her teeth. It’s unbelievable really. I might never have known.”
The dad of two received his winnings in November, saying: “It has certainly helped to make life a bit more comfortable.”
Mum-of-two Gill told The Sun: “Obviously, I wish I had not done it. It was stupid.”
