A shop worker in Oldham who attempted to claim a lottery prize of £1m won by a great grandmother has admitted charges of fraud.
Farrakh Nizzar, 30, of Woodlands Road, Crumpsall, Greater Manchester, lied to Maureen Holt, 77, that she had not won anything when he checked her ticket.

Oldham Magistrates Court were told Nizzar then later tried to claim the EuroMillions jackpot for himself.

However, the fraud was revealed when checks were made by Camelot.
The checks found the winning ticket was purchased at a Tesco Extra in Oldham, where Mrs Holt had used her Clubcard, and not the Best One Convenience Store where Nizzar was employed.

Maureen said she had believed Nizzar when he lied to her that she hadn’t won anything.

She explained: "He said ‘Do you want me to throw it away?’ and I said ‘Well, if there’s nothing on it you may as well’.

Then a few days later a lady from Camelot knocked on the door and asked about the ticket. She said there’s a possibility a winning ticket has been presented that’s yours. I couldn’t believe it."

The couple, who have seven children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren, said they have been so upset by the inquiry they haven’t been able to sleep.

Fred said: "It’s kept us awake at night. All of a sudden I feel 80. I just hope we get this money before it’s too late!"

Maureen continued ‘everyone calls him Lucky but he wasn’t very lucky this time’
"I just can’t believe he did this, but at least he got caught.
"This money will mean my husband can finally give up work and we can enjoy our retirement."

The elderly couple said they were pleased the whole scenario was over and that they would be getting their winnings paid to them.
A Camelot spokesman recommended lottery players to check if they had won before taking their tickets to shops, but they also said that all claimants had to endure strict security procedures to authenticate the ticket and determine if they were indeed the rightful owner.

The spokesman continued "Camelot takes matters of propriety very seriously,"
"We are committed to investigating allegations made against any retailer selling National Lottery tickets - such allegations are very rare."

The outlet where the scam took place has been suspended from selling National Lottery tickets, while an internal investigation is held.
Detective Inspector Danny Inglis, of Greater Manchester Police, said: "We have worked very closely with Camelot throughout this investigation and will continue to do so during the remainder of the judicial process."

Nizzar, who admitted a charge of fraud by false representation, will be sentenced at Manchester Minshull Crown Court on 20 August.