Winner Recruits Top Lawyer

28th November

BINGO millionaire Jean McCullagh has vowed to fight relatives claiming a share of her jackpot win.

She has taken on top lawyer Cameron Fyfe to fight her bingo partners - Rose and Jessie McCullagh .

Jean, 69, has had her winnings frozen by the court.

Fyfe said: "Jean is obviously very distressed.

"The whole thing has completely overwhelmed her.

"These cases are notoriously difficult to prove. Mrs McCullagh is adamant there was no agreement."

Jean and sister Margaret, who was visiting from Canada, hit a national jackpot on a night out with Rose and Jessie at the Forge Mecca in Glasgow's Parkhead.

They claim Jean promised them £250,000 each - she insists she only promised them a share of the £10,000 local jackpot. Jean believes she can produce members of staff who witnessed the conversation.

According to Rose and Jessie, the four had pledged to split any win.

At an emergency court hearing last month, a judge ordered the payment to be frozen due to the dispute.

The women are married to three brothers and live within a few minutes drive of each other.

The family has been ripped apart and last week Jean cut a forlorn figure as she and husband John finally returned to their £300,000 detached villa in Uddingston, Lanarkshire.

Fyfe added: "The onus is on the other side to prove there was an agreement to share winnings. We are confident they won't be able to do this as no agreement was in place. "We anticipate calling a number of staff from the bingo club and believe they will support Mrs McCullagh.

Only a month before Jean's win, local woman Margaret Shearer became Britain's first £1million winner in the same hall and the Forge Mecca was hailed as the luckiest bingo hall in Britain.