Almost 93,000 euros worth of Lotto and Euromillions tickets disappeared from a gas station in Zutendaal. The store clerk initially confessed, paid back 3,000 euros, but is now asking for an acquittal. Not because of new evidence, but because the police lost the hard drive containing the camera footage.
The 36-year-old man from Lanaken worked in the gas station shop in 2023. According to the public prosecutor, he regularly took Lotto forms and Euromillions tickets from the machine without paying.
After the draw, he checked the tickets and ran winning copies through the machine again to collect the prize money. The damages mounted up to almost 93,000 euros.
A lost hard drive puts the case on edge
The fraud came to light when the owner noticed that her balance account with the National Lottery showed heavy deficits. During a house search, the police found numerous gambling products in his car and home. The facts were also filmed by security cameras in the store.
Exactly those images now appear to be the weak point. During the investigation, the police lost the hard drive containing the camera footage. How that could happen was not clarified in the courtroom.
For the defense, that is the main argument to ask for an acquittal.
“Both the civil party and the public prosecutor refer to the camera footage. But my only question is: where is it?” they stated.
Remarkably: earlier the man had admitted to the facts. He even made an agreement to pay back the amount in installments. To date, he has paid back 3,000 euros. According to his lawyer, that agreement was made under pressure.
The owner, assisted by attorney Bert Partoens, denies this. She says she trusted him and gave him chances.
“But he has severely duped me.”
More than just camera footage
The lost hard drive raises questions about the preservation of evidence. Concerned citizens are reacting sharply and point out that the file is broader than just video material. After all, forms were recovered during the house search.
In addition, it can be checked at what times winning tickets were cashed in and whether those coincide with his working hours. And there is also his earlier confession to the police.
Still, much depends on how the court assesses the loss of the hard drive. What started as a clear theft case, now revolves around one painful question: can a trial derail because crucial evidence disappears at the police station?