A shop in Tipton has had its licence revoked following the theft of a winning lottery ticket by its supervisor.
Best One Store in Market Place, Great Bridge, Tipton lost its trading licence after Vincent Shaanmugarajah Thamilnesan, the shop's licence holder and designated supervisor, stole a lottery ticket worth £920. The customer was given only £30 in winnings.
How the theft was discovered
The victim realised something was wrong when they discovered the prize should have been "substantially higher" than the £30 they received. West Midlands Police investigated and confirmed the actual prize was £920.
Thamilnesan admitted the ticket theft to police and agreed to sign a community resolution, an informal out-of-court settlement.
Licensing decision
Sandwell Council's licensing committee revoked the shop's licence after Thamilnesan gave contradictory accounts of events during the investigation. When first interviewed, he told officers he was not the owner of the Great Bridge shop and could not access CCTV footage. A week later, when interviewed by the same officers, he changed his story.
Licensing committee chair Matt Lloyd said Thamilnesan's varying accounts meant the panel had no confidence in his ability to hold a licence.
Sandwell Council's licensing enforcement officer told the hearing they had "serious concerns" about the shop and urged councillors to revoke the licence.
Investigation difficulties
CCTV footage that should have been kept for at least a month had been recorded over a week before police could review it. The missing video hampered the investigation into the missing ticket.
The hearing also heard that the ticket machine would have given Thamilnesan several prompts to notify the customer of their win, yet he told the hearing he "hadn't noticed them."