'I won £135k on EuroMillions – but then mother-in-law took me to court'
Bagging a £130,000 EuroMillions jackpot is usually the start of a lavish spree, but for one woman, it led to a courtroom showdown with her own mother-in-law.
The Spanish resident, known simply as H, scooped up the hefty sum in 2021, pocketing €154,073 (around £131,000). Yet, what should have been a stroke of fortune turned sour, sparking a bitter legal feud.
At the time of her windfall, H was receiving social benefits, so the prize money was stashed in a joint account under her husband's name, as reported by Telecinco, to safeguard her benefits.
But the real loss wasn't her benefits; it was her husband, who tragically passed away months after their EuroMillions win, ending their 30-year marriage.
In the aftermath, J, the grieving mother of the deceased, laid claim to over half of the lottery winnings, insisting it was her son's inheritance.
She took the battle to the Provincial Court of Oviedo, contending that "it was her son who bought the ticket, deposited it, and opened an account in his name", therefore excluding his wife from the equation.
Despite her plea for €92,780 (about £80,000), the court sided with the daughter-in-law.
Their verdict was clear in that "the person who won the EuroMillions draw for week 15/21 on Friday, April 16, with an amount of 154,073 euros was H".
The verdict clarified that "the amount deposited on April 21, 2021, totalling 131,259.08 euros into a bank account opened on April 20, 2021, corresponds to the amount, after taxes, of the previous prize".
Further details revealed by the court showed that it was indeed H who initially bought the ticket at a lottery office located in Saturnino Fresno, Oviedo.
The fortunate widow scooped the winnings by correctly picking five numbers and one star, with testimony during the trial confirming that "H was a regular customer and always went alone to buy tickets", which was also true for the lucky ticket in question.
For the disheartened mother-in-law, her legal battle ended in defeat as she recently found out she wouldn't receive any part of the windfall.
Throughout the futile legal battle, she maintained that her son was the real purchaser of the ticket, and she even cast doubt over the marriage, claiming her son "lived with his wife but would go to her house whenever he wanted".
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Daily Record
12 hours ago
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She said: 'We all split up to try and find him in the place but then none of us could find him in there so at this point our phones were nearly dead and he was still not answering his phone.' The group then scoured the strip, with Lucy assuming he'd made friends or even found a girl to hang out with, as Jay was a 'social butterfly.' Soon, he messaged saying 'I'm in Oasis,' and later mentioned being in Sugar Reef - located two or three clubs up - yet Lucy still couldn't find him. She then left him an angry voicemail saying: 'Where are you and what are you doing? I am coming down to get you. If you're not there this time I will be f**** fuming.' Eventually, when Lucy found him, Jay casually said he wasn't ready to head home. 'There's no way I'm going home,' he told her. Ayub Qassim, a fellow Brit but not a hometown friend, later invited Jay to return to his rented Airbnb in the Tenerife mountain village of Masca. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Last person to see Jay alive - Ayub Qassim - slated during inquest hearing Ayub Qassim, who is believed to have been the last person to see the Lancashire teen alive, offered his condolences to Jay's family during the inquest - but was scolded after he shifted the conversation by mentioning 'kids dying in Palestine.' He said: "First and foremost I want to send my condolences to Jay's family. I want people to also think about the kids that are dying…' At which point he was told by the coroner: 'You are not here to make political statements.' On the night before Jay vanished, Ayub said he partied with Jay until "5am pushing 6am maybe." Jay was "on the buzz," according to Ayub. 'Head bopping, chilled, happy. He was coherent.' He then offered to drop Jay home. Ayub said he told Jay: "Bearing in mind I live a bit far away but I'll drop you off in the morning if you want." Jay decided to catch a bus back to his apartment after being advised by a local that one would be arriving in 10 minutes. Pals deny speculation about knives and stolen watch During the inquest, Jay's pals dismissed circulating rumors that he had stolen a watch and carried knives in his shorts. They said that they had no knowledge of any watch being taken, despite a Snapchat in which Jay supposedly boasted about taking an AP watch he was planning to sell. Ayub said: 'When you're younger you might exaggerate things. But one hundred per cent I didn't see a watch getting taken, maybe he was just bigging himself up to his pals.' Lucy also said she had no recollection of any watch on the night, and that Jay had never mentioned one to her. Addressing a separate rumour about Jay carrying two kitchen knives in his shorts, Brad was asked if this would be unusual. He answered 'yes,' adding nothing indicated Jay was ever distressed, scared, or agitated. Emergency teams who found Jay reveal factors which contributed to his death The mountain rescue team said there were several factors that led to Jay's tragic fall. They attributed his death to his lack of experience in mountainous terrain, recklessness, diminished physical fitness, and an overall absence of self-control alongside insufficient equipment for the conditions. Adverse weather conditions and the inherent risk posed by loose, falling rocks were also mentioned as key elements that may have contributed to Jay's fall.
