Man smashed dad's car up with a hammer because he refused to share his EuroMillions jackpot

They say you should be careful what you wish for, and many of us have crossed our fingers and wished with all our being to win the lottery.

However, while being gifted a s***load of free money may sound extremely appealing, there are plenty of winners who claim their lucky day did more harm than good.

Take Alex Robertson for example, who said his dad's big lotto win was the worst thing that ever happened to his family.

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His dad, Alex Snr, was part of a bus drivers' syndicate that scooped a £38 million jackpot 10 years ago, splitting the winnings a dozen ways.

However, when his dad apparently refused to share his £3.1 million with his sons, it prompted a feud in the family which escalated, leading to police involvement and courtroom appearances.

Alex Jnr admitted: "We ended up taking hammers to his two new 4x4 Shoguns.

"We walked up his driveway at 11 o'clock at night and put two claw hammers through the windows of the car.

"We then reported ourselves to the police."

He told The Sun at the time: "This lottery win was the worst thing that ever happened to us — it ripped our families apart."

Alex Snr also accused his son William of harassment, alleging that he sent threatening messages.

William was arrested and was due to stand trial, but the case was thrown out after Alex Snr - who had moved to Benidorm - failed to turn up.

It just goes to show how messy money matters like this can get, even among loved ones. Earlier this week, the National Lottery explained how a winner is identified and how a jackpot is distributed after a man who thought he was quids in alleged he'd been cut out of the kitty.

Kirk Stevens and his partner, Laura Hoyle, won the 'Set For Life' draw in March 2021 - meaning £10,000 a month would be coming their way for the next 30 years.

He popped the champagne, posed with the massive cheque, and dreamt of their future together. But earlier this summer, Laura left him - taking the remainder of the £3.6 million jackpot with her.

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"Laura had told me we'd live the life of Riley if we won," the 39-year-old told The Sun. "Now she's gone.

"She pulled the plug and took everything. She even wants our two dogs."

Laura has declined to comment on the headline-grabbing story, which has left many people wondering whether Kirk should be entitled to half of the payments.

A National Lottery spokesperson has now clarified that all jackpots are paid to an individual, and having your name on the huge cheque doesn't necessarily mean huge sums of money will be heading your way.

The spokesperson told LADbible: "If it is a syndicate then members will be invited to attend the validation process, and given access to appropriate advice. We would also support the syndicate leader in distributing the money to the syndicate members.

"If a winner chooses to share their news then a variety of props are created to enable their story to be told - one of these is the giant dummy cheque. 

"It is up to the ticket-holder to decide what names they would like on the cheque - it does not relate to the process."