Married couple lost €3.5m lottery ticket – then things got even worse

Kath Main faces a 30-day wait over her €14m lottery claim after a shopkeeper allegedly binned her ticket – and there’s two people who will know exactly how she feels

A mother is enduring an agonising 30-day wait to learn whether she’ll be £12million (approximately €14m) better off — after a shopkeeper discarded her ticket.

Kath Main, 46, recently discovered online that the June 6 jackpot remained unclaimed, before recognising the winning numbers matched hers.

Nevertheless, she alleges her mum had originally taken the ticket to a Londis store in South Wales where staff informed her it wasn’t a winner, before the shop owner threw it away.

The retailer has subsequently acknowledged the machine may have been malfunctioning, and an inquiry is now under way.

Kath is now facing a 30-day period to find out whether National Lottery operator Allwyn will grant her the money she believes she’s entitled to, and she admitted she now feels “sick all the time”.

During this waiting period, she might be examining previous cases. This brings us to ‘Britain’s unluckiest couple’, who previously found themselves in a comparable predicament which resulted in a heartbreaking conclusion.

Martyn and Kay Tott

Martyn and Kay, from Hertfordshire, purchased a winning National Lottery ticket worth a life-altering £3m (approx €3.5m) in 2001.

Yet, following the initial excitement of discovering their numbers were correct, they then began hunting for the actual ticket.

And with the National Lottery draw having taken place six months earlier, the nightmare of their circumstances quickly dawned when they realised it had vanished.

They entered the same numbers weekly, so they were certain they’d won and verified with their local retailer that they’d purchased the ticket before attempting to claim their windfall from Lottery organiser Camelot.

However, the pair were oblivious to a crucial regulation stipulating that missing tickets must be reported within 30 days, rendering their claim invalid.

Following a 45-day wait for an official response, the devastating news arrived.

At the time, Sir Richard Branson and even Tony Blair urged the lottery to award the couple with the money, after it became a huge news story.

Yet, despite a five-year legal battle to secure the winnings, success eluded Martyn and Kay.

Reflecting on the fallout, Martin, who would have been 33 when the saga unfolded, told the Mail on Sunday: “Having that money taken away was torture.

“For a long time I lost sight of who I was and what I believed in. But I can honestly say I’m glad I didn’t get the £3million now.

“There is no guarantee it would have brought me happiness.”

The ordeal also placed immense pressure on their relationship, ultimately proving irreparable.

Martyn said: “We’d only known each other for two years and the Lottery ordeal quickly highlighted our differences.

“All we did was bicker. Sadly, both of us agreed we should split and Kay moved out.”

Following Kay’s departure, Martyn abandoned his job and subsequently penned a novel titled Six Magic Numbers, drawing inspiration from the turmoil that upended his life.

He embraced religion and in 2003 met American woman Tanya. He relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she introduced him to a church led by a “self-appointed Apostle”.

However, upon discovering that members were required to hand over 10% of their earnings to the leader, he made his way back to the UK.

He took his case against Camelot to the High Court in 2007, only to be warned he would face a £400,000 bill in legal fees should he lose.

Then, when his wealthy backer Jonathan Bunn withdrew his support, it dawned on him that the money was gone for good.

His book was published two years later.