Fireman who won £200k on scratchcard battling ‘spendaholic' ex after she claimed he ‘lovebombed' her with lavish gifts
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A FIREMAN who won £200,000 on a scratchcard is battling his "spendaholic" ex after she claimed he "lovebombed" her with lavish gifts.
Heather Douglass splurged on exotic holidays and household renovations after Craig Titchener gave her a five-figure sum.
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Heather Douglass claimed she was gifted £45,000 of the win
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The nurse claimed Titchener gifted her the cash from his lucky win to "get back into her good books" after they rowed.
But he insisted the money was supposed to be ploughed into premium bonds which they could both share the interest on.
The pair battled it out in court over three cash transfers totalling £45,000 that were made in 2022.
District Judge Charlotte Hart ruled that £40,000 of the money transferred was intended to be invested as Titchener intended.
But she found a cash transfer of £5,000 was a thank you gift to Douglass, along with a £300 bottle of Lancome perfume.
The court was told airport firefighter Titchener scooped the £200,000 win on a Winter Wonderlines scratchcard in 2019.
He said he wanted to use the money to buy a house for him and his kids but after beginning a "volatile" 11-month relationship with Douglass, he handed her £45,000 of his cash in 2022.
When the pair split, Titchener tried to claim the money back and believed it had been invested by Douglass.
But she failed to pay up - claiming her ex had "lovebombed" her with generous presents and cash.
She told him: "You sent me money because you were desperate to be in a relationship with me".
But Titchener questioned in court why he would send "half my live savings just to be in a relationship with you".
Douglass replied: "You want women to be with you and you struggle when you're on your own.
"You're very controlling and this was a relationship wholly based on control. You believe that you can buy people."
The nurse also claimed her ADHD gave her "an addiction to over-spending".
She told the judge that with her ex's agreement, she spent the cash on holiday to Thailand for them both and household works.
Douglass said: "When I'm elated I will buy extravagant things. I have a tendency to overspend.
"If you came to my house, you'd see there are things coming there every day."
But Titchener said he has "always fought hard for a better life" for him and his children.
He continued: "When I won that £200,000 on the scratchcard, I didn't see it as just luck but as a life-changing opportunity.
"I thought that now I can finally buy the family home I've always wanted and that intention to invest in a home has been consistent from the start."
The judge said there was "very little evidence to support claims of a controlling or harassing relationship" and ruled that Douglass had failed to prove that the £40,000 was gifted to her.
But she said Titchener had also tried to bolster his case by concocting a digital document that he claimed was a signed agreement between him and Douglass confirming that the transferred money was earmarked for investment.
The case will return to court for an investigation into where the £40,000 went.
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