Jean-David Estele has offered to split €500,000 ($525,000) prize with thieves
A man in France has made an unusual proposal after discovering that his stolen credit card was used to buy a winning lottery ticket, CNN reported.
Rather than pursuing legal action, Jean-David Estele has offered to split the €500,000 ($525,000) prize with the thieves.
On 3 February, Estele’s car was broken into in Toulouse, and the culprits used his credit card to purchase several items at a bar, including a lottery ticket. His lawyer, Pierre Debuisson, told CNN that the ticket ended up being a jackpot winner.
“It’s a miracle for both the thieves and my client,” Debuisson said, explaining that Estele sees the situation as an unexpected stroke of luck. He is now urging the two unidentified thieves, believed to be homeless, to come forward.
Police have struggled to identify the pair, despite recovering fingerprints at the crime scene. “Without my client’s credit card it would not have been possible to buy the ticket, but without the thieves’ behaviour, the ticket wouldn’t have been bought either,” Debuisson noted.
Estele has no intention of pressing charges. “The thieves have nothing to fear from us,” Debuisson said, adding that locating them has proven difficult due to poor-quality surveillance footage.
Estele and his wife plan to use their share of the winnings to build a new house. Meanwhile, the French lottery operator, Française des Jeux (FDJ), stated that no claim for the prize has been made yet.
The story has attracted international media attention. “I don’t think anything like this has ever happened before. I never imagined this case would gain so much attention worldwide,” Debuisson remarked.
Despite its unusual nature, the lawyer called it one of the most amusing cases he has handled. “While it might not be the craziest case I’ve handled, it’s certainly the funniest,” he said.
