Sun German Lottery Bullshit Busted

Rupe’s downmarket troops at the Super Soaraway Currant Bun discovered yesterday that the real winner of the £33 million lottery prize had come forward. But there was a problem: the ticket holder decided to remain anonymous. What to do? Simples: the Murdoch doggies would return to their previous excuse for journalism, and once again go after “German Gran” Susanne Hinte, because, er, she’s GERMAN.

This time, despite the total lack of any evidence to back it up - not unusual for the Sun, admittedly - the hacks have decided that Ms Hinte is going to get herself into trouble on the grounds that, er, the hacks say she’s well dodgy. So out came the headline: “£33M winner is found … ‘Wash’ Gran in hot water … THE LYIN’ THE RICH AND THE FRAUD PROBE”. There’s a fraud probe? Well, no there isn’t.

So what’s the deal? “‘Wash’ gran fears police at her door”. She does? That one is in the “highly questionable” category: “A member of her family, who asked not to be named, said: ‘That’s what she’s scared of and she knows it’s a possibility. If Sue purposely mocked up a dodgy ticket it’s fraud and she can expect the police to be knocking. The ticket was farcical, a joke’”. I wonder who wrote the words for them?

Colour me cynical, because I am cynical. Are there any more alleged witnesses? Well, the Sun has managed to talk to “Julie Howard, 37, her pal for 15 years before they fell out over a pair of curling tongs”. This story is crap, isn’t it? The Sun’s own copy tells you: “Susanne’s claim had been among several hundred since it revealed last week the winner was from Worcester. But a source said most would have been dismissed immediately”.

What do the Murdoch doggies expect the rozzers to do, arrest several hundred people because they all suggested they had the winning ticket? Or do they expect the law enforcement agencies to let the rest of the several hundred off, and nick Ms Hinte instead on the dubious grounds that the Murdoch press decided to splash her all over the Sun’s front page three times? Pull the other one.

What have the Police and Camelot said? “West Mercia Police said Camelot may report it if ‘they believe someone has intentionally attempted to defraud the lottery’. A spokeswoman said: ‘At the present time we have not been asked to investigate any such matters’ … A Camelot spokeswoman said: ‘We cannot discuss details of this or any other individual claims’”. That sounds like the Sun has come up empty handed.

Even the claim “Susanne, who we revealed yesterday sent saucy snaps of herself to a lorry driver, is due before Birmingham magistrates in March on theft charges” is crap. It’s between her and the, er, trucker. And while the Sun might do guilt by association, the process of law does not. Nor do courts tend to find “She’s German” convincing. This story is cheap and nasty even by the Sun’s cheap and nasty standards.

But it cost next to nothing to cobble up, and sold a few more papers. So that’s all right, then.