Bognor man jailed following lottery scam

Stephen Drew, who now lives in Nottingham, told police he was robbed by a group of men in Bognor Regis who stole the lottery cash.

He was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and theft at Chichester Crown Court for his 'elaborate scheme of dishonesty'.

Drew, who spun a web of lies so he could steal the money from the syndicate he ran, was employed by John Wiley and Sons in Bognor Regis.

Nick Hall, prosecuting, said: "In April last year, after workmates continued to ask for their winnings, Drew, 33, said he would pay up once he had collected them from where they were stored in the back of his father's car."

The court heard Drew then went to Bognor Regis Police Station saying he had been robbed at knifepoint.

Mr Hall added: "He was in quite a state so police interviewed him and Drew went into considerable detail telling them how he was robbed by three men and the terror he went through."

Drew provided detailed descriptions of three men and told police his phone, wallet and bag had been stolen along with the lottery money totalling 956.

Mr Hall said police began investigating the allegation of knifepoint robbery and a few hours later an officer on patrol saw a group of eight men '“ some of whom matched the descriptions provided.

All eight men, who were on holiday in the Bognor area, were arrested and spent up to 24 hours in custody before police in Bognor Regis realised Drew's story was suspicious and the men were, in fact, innocent.

On April 17, Drew was arrested and charged with perverting the course of justice and theft. At his first court appearance he pleaded not guilty, but later changed his plea to guilty.

Archangelo Power, defending, said: "He is someone who dug a hole for

himself that got deeper and deeper until he began to believe the lies himself, so much so it became impossible to dig himself out. He accepts that for innocent men to be arrested and detained was wholly unacceptable."

Several Wiley employees watched from the public gallery as Drew was

sentenced to eight months in prison for perverting the course of justice

He was also sentenced to two months in prison for theft, which will run

concurrently with the eight-month sentence.

Judge Wood QC, told Drew: "You have committed an offence which was

disgraceful, deceitful and criminal. Deceiving your work colleagues who cheerfully took part in the lottery syndicate in good faith while you were pocketing the money. You embarked on an elaborate scheme of dishonesty, telling police you had been robbed at knifepoint leading innocent citizens to be arrested and held."

*In a previous report of the court case The Observer reported that eight Wiley employees had been arrested '“ this was not correct.

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