A GRAVESEND shopkeeper told a £79,000 lottery winner who matched five balls and the bonus ball he had won just £10, a court heard.

Imran Pervais, 26, of Milton Road denied one count of fraud when he appeared on trial at Maidstone Crown Court this afternoon.

A jury of four men and eight women heard how Pervais was working in Moores Convenience Store, in MacKenzie Way, Gravesend at the time of the alleged offence.

On May 18, 2012, syndicate organiser Callum Crosier routinely visited the store to check the 28 lines his office group entered each week and to buy the same lines for the draw the following day.

Giving evidence, Mr Crosier explained how he won £10 on the first ticket and when the third of his four tickets was scanned, the lottery machine made a sound to indicate it had also won a prize.

He said: "At the time I didn't take much notice.

"He sort of like double checked the ticket.

"He looked at the ticket and said 'yes' when I asked if it was another tenner.

"He just put the ticket on the side next to him."

The next Monday, Mr Crosier looked on a spreadsheet he kept to find out which staff member chose the numbers when he realised he had matched five correct numbers.

He told the court: "I checked and realised it was just £1,000. I felt guilty as I had messed up.

"I went down to my local shop to see if they had the ticket."

On arrival with his colleague, Pervais told him the winning ticket would still be at the store as all winning tickets are retained for six months.

He said he would check the store bins for the ticket and Mr Crosier should return in a few hours.

Mr Crosier returned to his office in Chatham.

He explained: "They were all excited because we had won over £1,000 and it was the first time we had ever won on the lottery.

"I said I haven't even checked the bonus ball."

After checking the National Lottery website and realising the bonus ball was matched too, Mr Crosier said he "was gutted."

He told the court: "I told my boss and he hit the roof.

"He said 'get back down to that shop'.

"My mood had changed from thinking I had won £1,000.

"I said I'm not leaving this shop until I have got this ticket in my hand.

"That ticket is worth £80,000. You can make a mistake but £80,000 is completely different."

Mr Crosier and his colleagues then searched through three bags for the winning ticket.

It was eventually found "screwed up and torn" under the counter of the shop below the till after one of the staff used a broom to sweep under the counter.

Mr Crosier told jurors: "I went out to the boys with a smile on my face."

The trial continues.