Andy Barker, 43, Tamworth, has been sentenced to 13 weeks in prison for failing to declare his winnings to the Official Receiver.
Barker was declared bankrupt in November 2011, owing creditors £61,438, and therefore should have declared his winnings. He put the cash into his bank account and spent it all within three months. A viewer of the TV show informed the authorities and this led to an investigation by the Insolvency Service.
Barker pleaded guilty to failure to declare all assets in his estate, and to removing the money from his account contrary to the Insolvency Act, at Nuneaton Court in April. He lost an appeal against his 13-week prison sentence at Warwick Crown Court.
No5 Barrister Tim Pole represented Barker. He said: “What should have been a joyful moment has become a nightmare for him.
“For a man who has never been in trouble before and has worked hard all his life to suddenly make such a decision and find himself facing a custodial sentence, one can only imagine the impact it’s had on him.”
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