Two shopkeepers are starting a 14-month prison sentence today after trying to claim the �156,000 prize money on someone else's winning lottery ticket.
Alfred Jeevarajah, 45, and his wife Anne Jeevarajah, 38, both of Oak Lane, Hingham, admitted fraud by attempting to claim the winning ticket.
Anne Jeevarajah also pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.
The couple ran a newsagents on Market Place, Hingham, when the winner brought his lottery ticket in to see if he had won anything.
Mrs Jeevarajah told him he had not and kept the ticket.
Her husband then phoned up Camelot to make the false claim.
But Camelot became suspicious and alerted police.
DC Sophie Getley from Norwich CID, who investigated the incident, said: 'Playing the lottery is a game of chance but the last thing you expect is for the shopkeepers who sell you the tickets to abuse their position by trying to claim the winnings for themselves.'
•See tomorrow's EDP for the full story including an exclusive interview with the victim.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here