Two UK Men In Jail After Fraudulently Purchasing Winning Scratch-Off

07:51
25 Dec

John Watson, 34, and Mark Goodram, 38, of Manchester were sentenced to jail by a Bolton judge after admitting to using stolen debit card information to purchase a scratch-off ticket. The two thought they struck gold when they found out they won £4 million, but they would soon face reality.

Goodram and Watson traveled to London in 2019 in an effort to find wealthier people to beg to, since they believed they could make more money in London than in their hometown. While begging, Goodram encountered something he thought could help him out.

He saw Josh Addyman’s debit card and wrote the information on his hand to use for future use. The two used the debit card to purchase various goods worth $120.34 at a store in Londis and more items from a Waitrose store valued at $95.18. They also purchased the four tickets for the £4 million lottery scratch-offs worth $120.34.

After discovering that they were in possession of the winning scratch-off the two decided to celebrate in London, all on Addyman’s debit card. The two went to social media to document their downtown spree.

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After the spree the two decided to claim what was (un)rightfully theirs. They called Camelot, the company that operates the national lottery in the UK, to confirm they had the winning ticket.

Once confirmed, the Camelot operator assured Goodram that the money would be transferred to his bank account. When he told the operator he didn’t have one, they became suspicious of him.

The following day, a Camelot investigator followed up with Goodram and inquired about the debit card used to purchase the lottery tickets. Goodram told the investigator that it was his friend John’s that owed him money, but was unable to confirm John’s full name or location.

After Camelot refused to pay out the winnings, the two decided to sell their story to The Sun while Camelot handed the investigation over to the police. Watson and Goodram decided to hire Henry Hendon, a celebrity lawyer, to get the funds released from Camelot.

This month, a Bolton judge sentenced the two to jail for 18 months on fraud charges. Goodram breached bail and was sentenced to an extra month.

“I still can’t understand on what planet, frankly, the defendants thought they were going to hoodwink a jury,” the judge said of the case.

"You must have thought all your Christmases had come at once", a judge told them. Blimey! Brilliant reporting here via @TOMolloyMENhttps://t.co/QsCsj52NpF

— Amy Walker (@amy_e_walker) December 14, 2021

He also commented that an honest individual was denied the chance at a life-changing amount of money because two career law-breakers took that chance away from them.

“The intended loss was not of Camelot. It wasn’t to Mr. Addyman,” the judge said. “The loss was to the next rightful, law-abiding customer who was to go into that Waitrose store in Clapham and purchase that scratch card.”

Breaking the law is nothing new to these two men who have a total of 98 convictions for 191 offences between them. Perhaps prison time will be a wake-up call to these two men who think they can pull the wool over anybody’s eyes.