A battle between a High Street bookies and a punter who claims he's owed £5m has escalated into a full blown dispute involving police, Action Fraud and the industry's adjudicators.
Darren Hope is adamant he should be enjoying a champagne lifestyle after claiming to have scooped £5m from a European Champions League accumulator when Liverpool FC beat Barcelona 4-0 on their way to lifting the trophy.
But Mr Hope admitted he has no concrete proof of his accumulator win as he said he handed in his betting slip at BoyleSports in Coventry.
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The long-running dispute culminated in Mr Hope being escorted from Coventry turf accountants by five police officers after he staged a one-man protest.
The electrical engineer, who lives in one bedroom flat, claimed his fortune has failed to materialise because the bookies lost his betting slip.
Mr Hope, 52, claimed he placed £20 with BoyleSports on a wager that would conclude with the Reds beating Spurs for the trophy.
It was a bold punt as Liverpool had already lost the first leg of their semi-final against Barcelona 3-0.
He claimed the odds for Liverpool to beat Barcelona 4-0 at Anfield stood at 400 to 1. The Reds won 4-0 at Anfield.
He added that the accumulator also had Spurs to beat Ajax at 18 to 1 and for Liverpool to then beat Spurs in the final, at that stage priced at 35-1. Both predictions came to fruition.
Mr Hope said: “We are talking about a multi-billion pound company, so it’s peanuts to them.
"It’s a breath of fresh air to them. I’d be living in a new house if I had that money. I even went to a Ford garage to order a Mustang. I feel very let down.
“This has caused me a lot of stress, a lot of sleepless nights. I feel betrayed.”
Mr Hope said he handed the winning slip into the bookies to collect the huge windfall.
But BoyleSports have insisted that the bet was never made - and the shop wasn't even launched when Mr Hope claimed he made his bet.
The Independent Betting Adjudication Service told Mr Hope: “(We have been) provided with details of your complaint against BoyleSports and your follow up correspondence with Action Fraud.
“Unfortunately, I have contacted BoyleSports and they have confirmed that they did not open a betting shop in Coventry until November, 2019. I regret that we cannot progress your complaint against the company any further.”
But Mr Hope said a police log of the protest he staged inside the bookies was recorded - stating officers were called to the premises on September 25 2019.
This was over a month before BoyleSports and the IBAS claimed the BoyleSports opened.
Mr Hope also claimed BoyleSports contacted him immediately after the win and questioned how they would have his details.
He said: “I went to collect my winnings on June 2, the day after the final, and was told they couldn’t pay it from there.
"I put my name, address and phone number on the slip, signed it, and gave it the woman. People have said I was stupid to hand over the slip, but what else was I supposed to do?
“At 8pm that night I got a call from BoyleSports. The man confirmed to me I’d won, asked for my bank details, gave me a transaction number and said it would take 90 days for the money to become available.
"I was in very high spirits.
“I waited until September 25 and looked at my bank account and the money wasn’t there.”
Action Fraud have been unable to assist the punter as it said with the information currently available it doesn't appear to be a "line of enquiry which a law enforcement agency in the United Kingdome could pursue".
Mr Hope said: “Surely they only have to study CCTV from the shop?
“That, at least, would show me making the bet and going in to collect my winnings. It’s common logic.”
In an email to BoyleSports sent this February, Mr Hope wrote: “This bet still remains unresolved and you therefore still owe me the winning money.
“I am prepared to accept a settlement amount of 50 per cent. I therefore request that you contact me within the next seven days.”
Mr Hope has not received a reply from BoyleSports.
Reporters from our sister title, The Birmingham Mail approached BoyleSports about the incident but hadn't received a response at the time of original publication.
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