Son's fury at 'notto Lotto' winner

10:54am Friday 17th August 2007

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The son of lottery hoaxer Fergus Frater has told of his anger at his father.

Mr Frater, 46, from Littlehampton, convinced his family he had won the £35.4 million Euro lottery and is said to have promised his son Jordan, 25, a £5 million share.

Roofer Jordan, who quit work, said: "I'm absolutely gutted.

"When Dad told me he'd won the lottery, I phoned my boss to tell him I was leaving.

"I've had to get back on the phone and beg for my job back.

"I don't know why Dad would have done this to us. We're in shock. We can't get hold of him."

Jobless Frater, who was in hiding yesterday, also promised his sister Lorraine, 41, £1 million after telling her he had the winning ticket. She flew off on a pre-arranged holiday to Greece after learning the truth.

Jordan told The Sun newspaper he and pregnant girlfriend Lucy Scrivens, 25, started making plans to move to Australia with their young daughter as soon as Frater announced he had won the jackpot.

He said: "One minute I was a multi-millionaire, the next I was back to having nothing. I was going to buy a Bentley and emigrate with my family to start a new life.

"I could kill him. But he's gone to ground and I've no idea where he is.

"He's never done anything like this before. We just can't work out what possessed him but he was telling everybody. The whole town thought he'd won. When I find him we'll have words but, at the end of the day, he's my dad."

Lucy said: "All our dreams came crashing down around us.

"But, more than anything, we just want to know he's okay."

Mr Frater disappeared from his one-bedroom flat after telling his family he was off to claim the money. Earlier, friends bought him drinks all weekend as he celebrated his "win". He even posed for pictures with a Euro Millions ticket for a national newspaper.

But his claim was exposed as false after the name of the real winner was announced.

Jordan said: "When we asked to see the ticket he said he was keeping it locked up somewhere safe.

"Over the weekend, Camelot was saying the winner had not come forward and we were urging him to claim before something happened to the ticket. Then he told us, I'm off to sort it', and vanished.

"When we heard the winner had come forward we thought he'd done it. He's from Scotland and had said he intended to go back there, so when the Press conference was organised north of the border it all made sense.

"We were all so happy. I blew the money we'd been saving for the car tax on a meal at a restaurant with my girlfriend and daughter to celebrate.

"Now I'll have to pick up some work soon to get the car taxed."