National Lottery fraudster who tried to claim £1million in fake prize money avoids jail
A man has narrowly avoided jail after he tried to mislead the National Lottery into paying out a £1million prize fund using a stolen scratchcard
PA
A man has narrowly avoided jail after he tried to mislead the National Lottery into paying out a £1million prize fund using a stolen scratchcard.
Ryan McKellar stole the scratchcard from his workplace and later paid for the £5 game card after he realised he had won.
However, it was soon discovered that the thief has been regularly stealing scratchcards from Moat Petrol Station on the Comber Road, Dundonald to refresh his wages.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to stealing a lottery scratchcard on May 23, 2022.
A man has narrowly avoided jail after he tried to mislead the National Lottery into paying out a £1million prize fund using a stolen scratchcardPAHe also admitted a further charge of theft between 1-24 May 2022, he stole a number of scratchcards and "cash prize money from scratchcards, which were stolen," worth a total of £395.
On May 23, 2022, McKellar tried "to claim the £1million prize," and told staff there that he had bought the ticket "on the off chance."
But, the court heard the 31-year-old informed Camelot that he "worked in the shop from where the ticket was bought and that then started an investigation."
An investigation found that McKellar had taken two scratchcards, however "the first one didn’t win".
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CCTV shows the fraudster had only paid £5 for the second ticket when he discovered that he had won a huge cash prize.
Camelot’s terms and conditions state that staff are not allowed to buy or use scratch-cards from their places of employment.
McKellar was sacked after further investigations unveiled that he had been "regularly stealing scratchcards".
Last week, at Downpatrick Crown Court, McKellar received a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.
Ryan McKellar stole the scratchcard from his workplace and later paid for the £5 game card after he realised he had won
PAJudge Geoffrey Miller warned that without his clean criminal record he would have been sent to prison.
The Judge added: "This has been a salutary lesson to you.
"What you must appreciate is that you now have a record for dishonesty, and if you reoffend, you will be brought back before this court and you will face that sentence and I will make it consecutive."
The court heard that as a result of the offences McKellar "has lost his job," has shown genuine remorse.
His barrister explained that at the time of the offending his client "had an issue with gambling", but he has since dealt with that "and it’s been a salutary lesson for the defendant".