Merseyside couple who won 60,000 on lottery both died within months of each other and never spent winnings

Couple Jean Davies and her husband Brian, both 82, from Billinge, Merseyside, won £60,000 due to a bizarre mishap when she applied to join the Postcode Lottery – but sadly neither of them got to enjoy their winnings

A Merseyside couple who had hoped to transform their lives with a £60,000 Postcode Lottery win tragically passed away within months of each other without spending a single penny of their winnings.

Jean Davies, who was 82-years-old from Billinge, signed up for the lottery in October 2018, hoping for a small win. Her grandson Paul helped her register online but accidentally hit the register button twice, meaning she would pay £20 instead of £10 per month. Despite this, Jean told Paul not to worry about the extra payment.

Two months after registering, Jean was shocked to receive an email announcing that she had won the Christmas draw. Both Jean and her husband Brian, also 82, were overjoyed.

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Their daughter Gillian, 58 at the time, said: “Mum and Dad had never won anything before so it was a big surprise for them. They had no idea how much they’d won but they were thrilled nonetheless.”

A few days later, a member of the lottery team arrived at their door and revealed that Jean had won £60,000 – double the amount she would have won if she had only registered once. It also emerged that several of their neighbours had also won substantial sums, reports the Mirror.

Gillian shared: “Mum and Dad lived in an adapted bungalow due to Dad having lots of health issues. When Mum won the money, she planned to get more adaptions in the bungalow such as wooden flooring, a new kitchen and a new bathroom suite. She was excited about sprucing up the house.”

However, Jean’s plans never materialised. Shortly after the win Brian had a fall and started to suffer cognitive decline. Their youngest child, also named Brian, was diagnosed with throat cancer aged 52. With both Brian’s facing health struggles, the couple’s dreams were put on hold.

In 2020, Jean was rushed to hospital with pneumonia. Early in 2020, Gillian’s half sister Susan spent time with Jean and Brian and helped organise their wills and applied for power of attorney to take control of their finances. Later that year, Gillian claimed that both she and Brian Jr had been written out of their parents’ wills. Brian Jr passed away in August 2020.

In November, the couple were separated with Brian being moved to Madison Court Care Home in St Helens. Jean was unable to visit her husband of 65 years due to Covid restrictions, leaving her desperately upset. The couple tried to get Brian home as Jean was worried about him.

Gillian opened up about her concerns regarding her father’s alleged mistreatment at a care home to MailOnline, noting that he might have been neglected and abused. Her sister Jean made an anonymous appearance on Granada TV in April 2022 to bring attention to the suspected abuse.

The situation took its toll on Jean, who began eating less due to stress and tragically passed away on June 5, 2022. Shortly after, on November 1, 2022, their father Brian also passed away.

Gillian has initiated legal proceedings against the care home and has already spent around £23,000 in legal fees. Speaking to MailOnline, she disclosed: “What happened to my dad in that care home is a whole separate story – one I’m still trying to piece together. All I can say now is that no human being should have suffered the way my dad did.”

She holds the belief that the Postcode Lottery win should have marked a turning point for the better in her parents’ lives. Elaborating further, Gillian stated: “But it didn’t. Everything went downhill from that day. What should have been a joyous time of their lives most definitely wasn’t.”

The Mirror has contacted Harbour Healthcare, which runs Madison Court Care Home for comment.