Firefighter who gave £45,000 of £200,000 scratchcard win to his 'spendaholic' ex-girlfriend fights her in court to get it back
A firefighter who sent £45,000 of his scratchcard win to his 'spendaholic' ex faced her in court to get the cash back.
Craig Titchener, 36, took his ex Heather Douglass to court after she claimed he 'lovebombed' her with £45,000 worth of gifts because he was 'desperate' to keep her.
The nurse claims the Heathrow Airport firefighter gave her a five-figure sum to spend on herself after his lucky win to 'get back into her good books' when they quarrelled.
She said she splashed out thousands on exotic holidays, household renovations and other expensive items with her ex-partner's approval, adding that ADHD gave her 'an addiction to overspending'.
The now-estranged couple ended up facing off in court over three cash transfers totalling £45,000 made by him to her in 2022.
Ms Douglass insisted were 'outright gifts,' while he claimed they were for investing on his behalf.
Mr Titchener sued, saying he had paid her the sums as he respected her financial 'savvy' and wanted her to plough the cash into premium bonds or other high-interest savings, with both of them sharing the interest.
After three days in court, District Judge Charlotte Hart ruled that £40,000 of the money transferred was intended to be invested, as Mr Titchener claimed, and was not meant as a gift.
Craig Titchener, 36, took his ex to court after she claimed he 'lovebombed' her with £45,000 worth of gifts because he was 'desperate' to keep her
Craig Titchener, 36, took his ex to court after she claimed he 'lovebombed' her with £45,000 worth of gifts because he was 'desperate' to keep her
However, she went on to find that a third £5,000 cash transfer was a gift as claimed by Ms Douglass, intended as a thank you from Mr Titchener for her support during their relationship, along with a £300 bottle of Lancôme perfume.
Airport firefighter Mr Titchener scored his big win after gambling on a Winter Wonderlines scratchcard in 2019, pocketing the top prize of £200,000.
He told the court he wanted to use the money to buy a house for him and his children, but that after beginning a 'volatile' 11-month relationship with Miss Douglass, he handed her £45,000 of his cash in 2022.
After they split, he began his Central London County Court bid to retrieve his cash, telling the judge that he had expected Miss Douglass to invest it for him.
'I am someone who has always fought hard for a better life, for both myself and my children,' he told the judge.
'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.'
But Miss Douglass fought the case, asserting that the payments were gifts, claiming that her ex 'lovebombed' her with generous presents and cash to 'get back into her good books' when they quarrelled, telling Mr Titchener: 'You sent me money because you were desperate to be in a relationship with me'.
With both sides representing themselves in court and sitting just yards apart in a cramped courtroom, Mr Titchener challenged his former partner as she gave evidence, asking: 'Why would I have transferred half of my life savings just to be in a relationship with you?'
She 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.'
Miss Douglass, who suffers from ADHD, told the judge that she had spent much of the money with Mr Titchener's agreement, including on a Thai holiday for them both, household work and other items.
'Part of my diagnosis is that I have an addiction to overspending,' she told the court.
'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.'
Giving judgment, the judge said there was 'very little evidence to support claims of a controlling or harassing relationship' and ruled that Ms Douglass had failed to prove that the £40,000 was gifted to her.
But she held that Mr Titchener had also tried to bolster his case by concocting a digital document which he claimed was a signed agreement between him and Miss Douglass confirming that the transferred money was earmarked for investment.
'I think he created that document to support his genuine case that the money was not outright gifted, but given to use for the purpose of investment,' said the judge.
But although labelling this 'extremely damaging to the claimant's credibility,' Judge Hart said it did not alter the central fact that Mr Titchener had transferred the cash sums for investment purposes.
'There will be judgment for Mr Titchener with a sum to be assessed by an equitable account, she added. 'It's declared that £40,000 was transferred by the claimant to the defendant and held in a bare trust for his benefit, to be invested in premium bonds or high interest savings.'
On top of the disputed money, the pair also ended up bickering over a 500ml 'prestige' bottle of Lancôme perfume, which Mr Titchener likewise labelled an investment, while Ms Douglass said it was a gift of her favourite scent.
Mr Titchener said the scent, bought for around £300 at auction. was 'a prestige bottle bought with the intention of investment,' but Ms Douglass said she wore the perfume 'all the time' and that her ex had told her his car 'smells like you now' after a similar bottle leaked in it.
'I used this perfume throughout my relationship with him,' she said in her closing arguments to the court.
Finding against Mr Titchener in relation to the 'limited edition' perfume, the judge decided this was a present from the firefighter, saying: 'It's conceded that this is Ms Douglass' perfume of choice and on the balance of probabilities I find that this was a gift.'
Although Mr Titchener had launched his bid to retrieve his cash transfers, the judge decided there must be a further court hearing to determine whether Ms Douglass may have spent some of her ex's £40,000 stake with his consent.
The case will return to court for an investigation into where the £40,000 went, the judge noting that some £19,000 is still not accounted for, although £21,000 had been traced going into Ms Douglass' savings accounts.
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